CONTROVERSIAL plans for a 180-home housing estate in Thornbury were met with fierce opposition during a presentation to the town council.

Ainscough Strategic Land presented its plans for the new homes on land west of Gloucester Road at Thornbury Town Council’s development committee meeting on Tuesday.

Its application for the development was submitted to South Gloucestershire Council last month, following a public consultation.

Addressing the town council committee, resident David Dawkins said: “Thornbury doesn’t need any more houses to meet the South Gloucestershire Council figures. It has taken on all the houses that it was asked to do and had agreed to do.”

The committee heard that Ainscough had changed the original plan, with more green space around the edge of the development and tweaks to the layout so the homes are less visible from the surrounding area.

Another change was the inclusion of a link road to the 125-home Linden Homes Post Farm development that would lie next door, which the Ainscough team said had been suggested by the highways authority.

When residents suggested this would create a rat run which would funnel more commuters onto the A38, the Ainscough team said the link road would not necessarily be included in the final plan.

Responding to comments over the suitability of the junction leading into the development, the team said surveys had found that the extra traffic would not cause significant congestion.

Thornbury business owner Keith Woosnam proposed forming a residents’ action group to fight housing plans.

“Where is this wonderful infrastructure, all these school places, jobs and medical facilities to take on all these new people?” he said.

Cllr Clive Parkinson questioned the Ainscough team’s claim the local economy would be boosted by the development, asking: “Where is the evidence that you have consulted and evaluated the lack of parking, the added pressures on young people from this development and the pressure on the health services?”

Rachael Ainscough, the developer’s land director, responded by saying that was not the company’s direct responsibility and would be carried out by South Gloucestershire Council.

Committee chairman, Cllr Maggie Tyrrell, pointed out that the site proposed for the homes was not earmarked for housing in any South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) development plans.

“We have already made it clear that the development is out of our development boundary and we will continue to object to development until there is some level of strategic planning,” she said.

Cllr Clare Fardell criticised the speed at which developers are building new homes to meet government targets for housing supplies.

“We all know that there is no possible way of beating the five year land supply because developers are building too slowly and we will never be able to catch up,” she told the committee.

Town councillors agreed to formally oppose the plan.

Their opposition will be passed on to SGC’s development committee, which will decide whether  to approve the application.