A PUBLIC inquiry into controversial plans for nearly 600 homes near Thornbury, has been postponed.

The planning inspectorate confirmed that the inquiry, originally due to start today, is to be postponed to a later date “due to ill-health of one of the key participants.”

A hearing was set to be held after South Gloucestershire Council failed to determine their application to build on fields west of Park Farm, Butt Lane in time.

Read more about the inquiry into plans for 600 homes on farmland 

That took the decision out of the local authority’s hands but councillors on the strategic sites delivery committee decided in January that they would have rejected the proposals if they still had the power to do so.

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More than 130 residents, Thornbury Town Council and Oldbury-on-Severn Parish Council objected to the outline proposals by Barwood Development Securities for the homes.

The hearing will be rearranged to a later date.