Controversial proposals for 595 homes on the edge of Thornbury have been approved by a planning inspector on appeal. The government-appointed inspector concluded that the “very substantial benefits” of the new housing estate on a greenfield site west of Park Farm, Butt Lane, outweighed the harms, including to nearby listed buildings.
It follows a seven-day public inquiry last year after developers Barwood Development Securities launched an appeal. A total of 134 residents, Thornbury Town Council and Oldbury-on-Severn Parish Council objected to the outline application for the two- and three-storey houses, of which 208 – 35 per cent – will be classed as affordable.
South Gloucestershire Council failed to determine the application in time and the appeal took the decision out of its hands, but planning committee members agreed that they would have refused permission if they still had the power to do so. However, planning inspector Christina Downes has now ruled in favour of Barwood and granted consent for the scheme, which includes a primary school and nursery, retail/community hub, a new bus link and open spaces including parkland, footpaths and allotments.
