Plans for 90 homes in the open countryside on the edge of Chipping Sodbury have been granted permission despite dozens of objections.
Councillors approved Cotswold Homes’ application for the two-storey buildings, including 32 affordable homes, on three fields west of Trinity Lane with conditions including almost £600,000 for primary and nursery education, new pedestrian crossings and money for library books.
Sodbury Town Council, Chipping Sodbury Town Trust and 57 residents objected, as well as South Gloucestershire Council’s public rights of way officer because a rural footpath would have to be diverted across roads, although walkers could continue through public open space in the development.
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The authority’s conservation officer raised concerns about views from the site to a Grade I-listed church tower, which were addressed to some degree during negotiations with the applicants.
But the council’s strategic sites delivery committee voted in favour after agreeing with planning officers’ advice that the public benefits outweighed the harms.
Chipping Sodbury and Cotswold Edge ward Lib Dem Cllr Adrian Rush said: “This is another speculative development recommended by officers for approval and we have already said we don’t need it.
“We’ve got 6.14 years of land supply and we are meeting the demands of the Government for our houses for the foreseeable future.
“So why have we got to take more green space for housing when in reality we don’t need to?
“It seems to be totally against what anyone who votes for us as local councillors would like us to do.
“It’s a crazy world when developers can come along and say ‘We know this land is not in your local plan but we’re going to pass it anyway’.
“Why on earth are we doing it? I am against the development.”
Conservative Cllr Roger Avenin told the meeting on Thursday, January 20: “At the risk of sounding like a broken record I’ve got concerns about the public rights of way.”
He said diversions would only comply with planning policy if they were “of an equal or improved quality”.
“PROW officers raised concerns that this diversion is due to cross a number of roads.
“It’s just another example of rural public rights of way being turned into a semi-concrete path.”
Lib Dem Cllr Mike Drew said: “Once again we have an application which provides ‘public open space’ when really it is a muddy retention pond.
“I’m not sure we’ve addressed some objections from local people.”
A planning officer said new pedestrian/bicycle crossings would improve safety and the majority of the footpath diversion was through open space.
She said the plans for the low-quality agriculture land north of St Johns Way, opposite the new Florence Gardens estate, included more than 12,000 sq m of open space, including allotments and a play area.
It is not in the green belt or the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Florence Gardens received planning permission in 2018.
Councillors first voted against a motion to refuse consent before voting to grant permission.
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