ALMOST 400 new houses could be built across a stretch of green belt in North Somerset, if developers get their way.

A planning application submitted to North Somerset Council seeks to develop 28 hectares of fields between the northern edge of Nailsea and the Land Yeo, bounded on each side by Clevedon Road (B1130) as it goes west to Clevedon and east to Bristol. 

The plans have outraged locals, with 56 objections lodged against the plans and just two representations in support.

One person who lodged an objection called the plans “a ridiculous proposal”.

They warned: “The area suggested is well known locally as being very marshy for much of the year. It is also one of the dwindling number of green, wild areas in Nailsea so this will […] further erode wildlife habitats in the area.”

Another person warned: “This area of land drains Tickenham ridge.

“If you build over it then the water will need to go somewhere, the developers can build drainage but this will divert it elsewhere.”

Another added: “We currently have a huge lack of amenities to support the current influx in new builds. This green space is the reason we brought our house and one of the only landscapes left untouched.”

40 per cent of the homes would be affordable. (Image: North Somerset Council planning portal) Land Value Appliances LLP (LVA) want to build 381 homes — of which 40 per cent would be affordable — on the land, along with a new car home, space for employment, and improvements to the existing playing pitches.

A third of a hectare would be left for a new community building and car park.

A statement submitted with the application said: “The land north of Nailsea will be an innovative development, working with the existing town context and setting whilst opening new and exciting opportunities for the local community.

“The development will open up the riverside for enjoyment, enhance sports provision, create a northern east-west connection and provide family homes.”

Although the application site runs all the way to the river, the development would be focussed towards the southern part of the site closer to the edge of the existing built up area and avoiding the flood zone, the statement added.

There would be a “green corridor” along the northern edge for biodiversity and a public footpath.

Homes would range from one or two bedroom flats to three, four, or five bedroom houses, with exact details to be determined at a later stage in the planning process once “outline” planning permission has been secured.

A new road would run through the site, connected to Clevedon Road with roundabouts at each end.

Nailsea and the neighbouring village of Backwell have been the subject of multiple major planning applications in recent years, with the location on the edge of the Bristol green belt making it attractive to developers.

But this planning application is inside the green belt — an area where developments are restricted to stop urban sprawl unless very special circumstances apply.

Another statement submitted with the planning application added that the need for housing and specifically affordable housing, the planned care home, and improved sports facilities were among the benefits that should be considered to count as very special circumstances.

It added there was only “minor” harm to the green belt.

It argued: “The urban edge of Nailsea is currently fairly abrupt with no meaningful strategic planting or buffer zones being provided to it.

The proposed development seeks to address this by creating a new landscaped transition from the urban area to the countryside beyond.”

It added: “The development would, therefore, not cause sprawl.”

You can view and comment on the application here: https://planning.n-somerset.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=SHLHS9LPIXK00