New bid to stop 450 houses going up in green belt near Keynsham

CAMPAIGNERS are renewing their fight to stop 450 homes being built on green belt land near Bitton and Keynsham..

They were celebrating before Christmas when developer Strategic Land Partnership (SLP) withdrew the original scheme for the houses on farmland off Barry Road in Oldland Common.

But, earlier this year, SLP re-submitted its plans, which led to members of the Oldland Common Save Our Green Spaces (SOGS) group pledging an even bigger fight against the loss of the protected land.

They have already handed in 1,128 letters outlining objections and on Thursday will be staging a protest at Kingswood Civic Centre before planners look at the latest proposal.

Anne Upton, chairwoman of the Oldland Common SOGS group, said: "We will be outside the civic centre before the meeting takes place to let people know our views, as well as listening to the debate."

As well as the housing, the scheme also includes a primary school, 60-bed care home and shops.

SLP claims sites such as Barry Road are needed to meet the need for housing in the district.

It believes there is not enough land elsewhere for new homes and that sites within the green belt will have to lose their protected status in order to meet the shortfall.

South Gloucestershire Council disagrees and has produced its own draft document detailing where it thinks houses could be provided, leaving out green belt areas such as Oldland Common.

Planning committee members are set to repeat their opposition to the SLP scheme on Thursday.

Bitton and Hanham Abbots Parish Councils, Hanham District Green Belt Conservation Society and the Campaign to Protect Rural England are also opposing the development.

The Oldland Common plan is just one that has been put forward to test the controversial South West Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS), under which South Gloucestershire would have to accommodate thousands more new homes if the document is eventually finalised.

Newly elected Conservative MP for Kingswood, Chris Skidmore, has been involved in campaigning to save the green belt and hopes to be at Thursday's meeting.

He said: "The land is in the green belt and must be protected for generations to come. Local campaigners have done a fantastic job.

"The future of the RSS is uncertain after the election but while it is still in existence, we will oppose it."

The original proposal was rejected by South Gloucestershire planners and was due to go to a public inquiry after SLP appealed against the decision.

SLP then pulled out, only to re-submit its project earlier this year.