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Yatton housing plan supported
The current Oxford Instruments site in North End Road, Yatton. - Credit: Archant
An application for 55 houses to be built on a brownfield site in Yatton is being supported by the parish council’s planning committee.
The plan by Redrow Homes is for land off North End Road, which is currently occupied by manufacturing company Oxford Instruments.
After much debate, members of Yatton Parish Council voted to support the application at the most recent meeting of its planning committee.
Outline planning permission to build 51 homes on the site was originally granted by North Somerset Council in 2006.
However, it is believed Redrow has submitted a new application in order to allow Oxford Instruments more time to find and relocate to new premises.
Parish councillors voted to support this latest application for homes despite opposing several other large-scale developments in Yatton, as they felt this development was ‘sustainable’ and is situated on a ‘medium-sized brownfield site’.
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Most councillors acknowledged the site had previously won outline planning permission for development from North Somerset Council, and felt the proposal would have ‘little’ impact on village traffic levels as workers already use cars to travel to and from their jobs at the Oxford Instruments company.
Cllr Jonathan Edwards said: “Brownfield sites should be developed before greenfield sites.
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“If we turn this application down, we are not helping ourselves. We are more in favour of brownfield sites because they are not taking away greenfield sites from outside the settlement boundary.
“If housing is not to be located in this sort of site, where can it go? It gives a very strong message.”
Not all councillors were in favour of supporting the application, with some citing road safety concerns and a strain on infrastructure as reasons for opposing the bid.
Cllr Viv Wathen said: “Yatton developments should not be approved because there are too few school places, doctors’ surgeries could not cope and there would be a dangerous increase in traffic.”
