DETERMINED residents from Nailsea have won the support of their town council to get a piece of land designated as an amenity area.

People living near Nowhere Lane were upset when they failed to buy the beauty spot earlier this year to try to protect it from development.

The lane was bought by Vince Nguyen, of Land Promotions, and residents were so concerned they would lose the small copse and adjoining meadow, which is used by scores of dog walkers, horse riders and cyclists, that they asked the town council to support a bid to turn the land into an amenity site.

Nailsea Town Council agreed to support the application at its meeting on Wednesday and the proposal will now go to North Somerset Council for a decision.

Town council clerk, Ian Morrell, said: “The council voted unanimously to support the request that it be designated as an amenity area. It’s covered by planning policy ECH1 which states that amenity land can be designated irrespective of who owns it.

“Amenity land is there because it has got some importance to a community.”

If North Somerset approves the request it will mean the developer has to adhere to stricter rules when submitting a planning application.

Mr Morrell said: “The criteria for the request was based on the environmental importance of the area and its historical importance.

“It’s used by many people, there are 60 tree preservation orders in the area and it’s regarded as an important asset in the town as a green space in an urban area.”

A group of neighbours had originally raised �30,000 to try to safeguard the lane, but they were beaten at auction by Mr Nguyen who paid �36,500 for the site.