'A step too far' Villagers say plans for 1,600 homes will be disastrous

VILLAGERS have vowed to fight developers claiming they are “under siege” from 1,600 new homes - which are set to nearly double its size and “destroy” the countryside around Bristol.

- Filipa GASPAR

Outline planning permission has already been granted for 800 proposed homes in Backwell that has been blasted as “total shambles” - with a further 800 now earmarked in the local plan in the near future.

There are currently around 2,000 homes in the village as well as several facilities and amenities - including a GP, a train station, cafes, takeaway shops and a dentist.

Villagers have described the scale of the development as “unsustainable” as they say Backwell does not have enough infrastructure to cope with the number of houses planned.

Placards reading “save our fields”, “save our village” and “save our wildlife” have been planted outside people's houses as a way of showing their concerns with the development.

Other banners read “RIP our little village” and “no entry to profiteers.”

Locals fear the village will become “overpopulated” with nightmare traffic and causing issues with wildlife.

Julie Lewton, 62, inset right, who runs a garage fears the village will 'not be the same again!

She said: “We are a village and we are not going to be a village anymore.

“We might have a train station, a doctor's, a dentist and a couple of local shops but the infrastructure is not in place.

“The roads here are very narrow and they can’t take extra traffic - I mean every single house has two cars each.