Local councillors in Peasedown St John have welcomed the news this week that controversial plans to build 51 homes in the centre of their village have been put on hold.
Housing developer Curo was awarded planning permission several years ago, despite years of public opposition, to build 51 homes in Greenlands Road.
Bath & North East Somerset Councillors Karen Walker and Gavin Heathcote (Independents) have been meeting Curo regularly over the last two years to raise their concerns, and those of residents, about the unsuitability of this scheme.
In a statement provided to the councillors this week, Curo said: “Since securing planning permission for this scheme, wider economic factors – including rising build costs and a stagnant sales environment – mean that we need to look again at the project’s viability. We have placed work on hold while we consider our options.”
The statement comes after 13 years of lobbying and campaigning from residents, Karen and Gavin and the campaign group ‘Residents Protecting Peasedown’, who have all expressed concern about the impact that building homes in Greenlands Road would have on the local environment, the village’s infrastructure and the wider community as a whole.
Cllr Karen Walker and Cllr Gavin Heathcote said in response to the news:
“We welcome the news from Curo that their plans to build 51 homes on a steep slope next to a small residential road in the centre of our community have been placed on hold.We’ve been meeting the organisation’s directors regularly over the past two years to voice our constituents’ concerns about this housing development. This was never the right location for a house building project of this scale, and we’re thankful that Curo has listened.We’re grateful as well to all the residents who continue to contact us about this issue.”
Karen and Gavin will be keeping Peasedown residents updated about the future of Greenlands Road through their monthly e-newsletter. People can subscribe by emailing village_voice@outlook.com
Pictured are Cllr Gavin Heathcote (left) and Cllr Karen Walker (right) with Curo’s Head of Construction Paul Fackrell (centre) in Greenlands Road, Peasedown St John, on a recent site visit. The councillors were able to show Paul the site’s unsuitability for such a large-scale housing development.
