Hundreds of residents battle plans to build homes

MORE than 500 residents of a village near Bristol filled a parish council meeting and the car park outside in rainstorm to voice their opposition to a plan to build new homes on their much-loved common.

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Hundreds attend a parish council meeting to oppose a proposal to develop Hicks Common in Winterbourne

People in the village of Winterbourne, between Bristol and Yate, have started a campaign called Save Hicks Common after developers put forward proposals to build 124 new homes, along with open spaces and community allotments on the green belt land next to the village duck pond.

And the first stop on the campaign was a parish council meeting at the Greenfield Centre in Winterbourne, which was overwhelmed with the number of people who showed up.