South Gloucestershire village to get 250 new homes

A bid to build 250 homes in a growing village north of Bristol has been given the go-ahead.

The new estate will be built in Charfield, South Gloucestershire, after South Gloucestershire councillors approved the plans on Thursday.

More than 200 residents lodged objections to the development over concerns of a lack of local infrastructure to support the population growth.

Developer Bloor Homes said it would invest £9.4m in local infrastructure.

A decision on 525 homes in another part of the village proposed by a different developer is set to be made at an unknown date.

If approved, it would mean the village's population would increase by a third, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

The approved development will be built on land north of Wotton Road and will be called Charfield Meadows.

Speaking in the meeting, Charfield councillor John O'Neill said: "In its current form, this is not place-making or plan-making, it is still premature.

"It is unfair to sell homes for families when there are insufficient places at primary schools. This would just overwhelm everything.

"I would expect you to impose a planning condition that no homes are occupied until there are additional places at Charfield Primary School."

A council officer said they are "comfortable" about their being enough school places from 2029, when the new homes are built.

"We have scheduled an expansion of the school to be opened by 2029," they said.

"However, there is a possibility of opening a reception class in 2028. There will be only a few houses there by 2027.

"Charfield School is full, absolutely, but it's full at the moment with people coming from as far as 2.6 miles away because the birth rate was so low [in Charfield].

"Whereas there was a year five years ago when we couldn't accommodate all the pupils in the village, currently we can."

Bloor Homes South West senior planning manager Jonathan Dodd said £1.6m will be spent on expanding Charfield Primary School, as well as road upgrades and community spaces.

Mr Dodd said: "Charfield is a thriving village, and we are committed to delivering a development that not only provides high-quality homes but also enhances local services, infrastructure, and green spaces."

The developers will also contribute towards improvements to junction 14 of the M5, as well as public transport, including money towards reopening Charfield Station in 2027.

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