Campaigners held a major protest against a proposed development on the outskirts of Bristol. The land south of Hencliffe Way and east of Castle Farm Road in Hanham will see 140 homes but has proved controversial amongst local residents.
The proposals involve bulldozing a house and building new roads, with most of the homes being two storeys, along with some flats. Planning officers have already turned the plans down, sayinge that the location was in open countryside where development was strictly controlled and that the new housing estate was not appropriate.
But the developers, Redrow and Ashfield Land, have appealed their decision. This has led to a total of 1,567 residents objecting to the plans, along with Hanham Abbotts Parish Council, Hanham District Green Belt Conservation Society, the Woodland Trust, South Gloucestershire Council ’s landscape officer and former Conservative MP Chris Skidmore.
Local resident Carole Yoxall, 81, lives on Hencliffe Way. The house next door to her could be demolished if the development goes ahead as an access point into the new estate.
Carole moved to Hanham in the 1970s for the peace and tranquillity the neighbourhood offers. She said: “I thought this is what it be all about, you know? I thought this would be my golden years.
“I love the peace and tranquillity. But you don’t ever think in your dreams that somebody would come along and knock a house down next door to put a road in, do you?”
When the plans were announced Carole and her daughter Sally thought there was a good chance they would be rejected. The plans have since been added into the local plan and residents are worried if the development goes ahead, it will create a ‘concrete jungle’.
Sally said: “The quality of life will be affected, there will be terrible noise levels, the wildlife will be gone. It’d be a concrete jungle.”
Carole added: “You think of the people that will be buying these homes, they are going to be expensive for people and then they will need cars to be able to get anywhere. There will be unhappy people in the end because there’s nothing, if you want a bank, there’s none in Hanham and the nearest supermarket is down Longwell Green.”
Sally said: “Then you’ve got the infrastructure, the doctors are as normal as any other doctors, they are oversubscribed, there is no NHS dentist, and the schools are oversubscribed. The roads are full of congestion now and the bus service, once you can get to the bus, is irregular and not very often and they’ve taken things off.”
Developers claim the project won’t cause any harm but Sally disagrees. She said: “It won’t cause physical harm, but definitely mental harm and will harm our well-being.”
A demonstration was held on Sunday, against the plans. Organized by the Hanham District Green Belt Conservation Society, the protest took place on the public footpath at The Batch, where a drone photoshoot captured the turnout.
Geoff Maggs, a spokesperson for Hanham District Green Belt Conservation Society, said: “It was a good turnout, with 150 local residents. We were also joined by some committee members from Save Our Green Spaces – South Gloucestershire and Steve Smith, Conservative mayoral candidate for West of England Combined Authority.
“The loss of The Batch to development would be a devastating blow to local residents and many others from Bristol and Bath who use the area for recreation. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.”
Campaigners have claimed that the land used to be home beautiful wildflower meadows included a Site of Nature Conservation Interest, until the meadows were destroyed, which campaigners describe as an ‘act of ecocide’. Since then, maize has been grown on the site, which consists of high-quality agricultural land.
Mr Maggs added, “The local wildlife – including badgers, deer, foxes, buzzards, and bats would lose their hunting and foraging grounds and the green infrastructure corridor would become very narrow between the fields and the River Avon below.
“The river, which is very popular with wild swimmers, kayakers and paddleboarders would become more polluted as increased run-off from the estate would travel downhill through the old quarries and mine workings picking up contaminants on the way… There will be no winners from this development.”
Land director at Redrow South West Amy Thomas said: “Our vision is to deliver 140 much-needed homes to the South Gloucestershire area, and we remain committed to creating a thriving community. As well as meeting local housing needs and creating job opportunities, we also plan to make a significant investment in the local area and infrastructure that will benefit everyone.”
A South Gloucestershire Council spokesperson said: “The appeal will be heard by the Planning Inspector at a public inquiry starting on May 7. The public inquiry is scheduled for 10 days over three weeks, and the council will defend the decision to refuse the application.”