Housing developer appointed for beauty spot

The government has appointed a developer for a controversial project to build 260 homes on a beauty spot.

Homes England announced on Monday that Keepmoat Homes is expected to begin work on Brislington Meadows, in Bristol, next year.

The government's land and housing agency won an appeal over the planning application in 2023 after Bristol City Council missed a deadline to make a decision.

Campaigners have argued the site should not be built on for ecological reasons and local Labour MP Kerry McCarthy has vowed to try and halt the development.

The council designated the 22.5-acre site for housing in 2014.

Homes England paid a total of about £15m to the council and private owners to buy the site in 2020.

The current council has tried to protect the site, citing its ecological significance, including the habitat its trees, grassland and hedgerows provide for protected species.

A spokesperson for Homes England said: "At Brislington Meadows, we are committed to delivering an exemplary scheme that will provide much-needed, high-standard homes, 30 per cent of which will be affordable, while delivering a 10 per cent biodiversity net gain, in an area that is close to local shops, community facilities, employment areas and public transport infrastructure."

In a statement on the Brislington Meadows website on Monday, the agency added: "(Keepmoat) will now prepare a Reserved Matters planning application, which will include public consultation later in the year. It is currently anticipated that work will start on-site in 2026."

Danica Priest, from campaign group Save Brislington Meadows, said: "It's not a large site - it's not going to make a difference to the housing stock in Bristol. It kind of feels like spite that Homes England is going forward with it.

"There is so much brownfield land in that area that could be developed instead."

She pointed out that the site only has outline permission and plans may be blocked when the developer submits more detailed ones. It is also being taken out of the council's Local Plan.

"It has opposition from every single political party in Bristol which is quite rare," she said.

"It's just really unethical to be building on a site of Nature Conservation Interest."

Kerry McCarthy, Labour MP for Bristol East, said: "I remain of the view that the meadows development should not go ahead.

"As well as being a site of Nature Conservation Interest, the meadows is a key green lung for Brislington and developing it would have a detrimental impact on local residents."

She added: "I will continue to look for realistic ways to prevent the development - if this isn't possible then I will be pushing as strongly as I can to reduce the development's footprint, to ensure access to local people to the wider meadows, and a promise that any biodiversity net gain remains in the local area."

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