Fears for badgers, bats and deer as developers try and build large Oldland Common houses

Developers are applying for planning permission from South Gloucestershire Council to build the seven houses in Oldland Common.

The houses are planned for the Willows, off the eastern end of California Road. Most would have four bedrooms with one having three bedrooms. The site is currently home to an abandoned building, as well as forming a haven for wildlife.

Councillors on the development management committee are due to vote on whether to grant permission for the plans on Thursday, September 4. They will hear from developers and opponents to the plans, many of whom wrote to the council explaining why they were objecting.

One local resident said: “We have lived directly opposite the proposed site for nearly 17 years. This area is such a loved green space. The wildlife that live in this area is abundant: badgers, deer, bats, slow worms, woodpeckers, kingfishers and voles. I could go on. This proposal for seven new homes will destroy this area of natural habitat.”

Conservative Councillor Carol Strange, representing Longwell Green, added: “The area is home to many species of wildlife, particularly badgers, bats and deer. It’s part of the wildlife corridor from Willsbridge Mill to Jubilee Park. There will be a large biodiversity loss if this development goes ahead. Seven large houses is excessive for such a small site.”

As well as the impact on the local environment, other concerns include sewage and flooding. Locals say the adjacent Siston Brook, which runs past the proposed development, floods often. Septic tanks from the new houses could discharge into the brook, after wastewater was treated. Council planning officers said they were satisfied with the controls preventing harm to wildlife.

Planned precautions include stopping construction work along the brook if an otter is spotted, until the otter moves away. Two badger setts on the site would be “temporarily closed” but the majority would be kept open and protected from the construction work. A new artificial sett would also be constructed, although developers won’t have to prove badgers end up using it.

Applying for the plans are the property developers Stantonbury. In planning documents, architects said: “The site is an appropriate location for the proposed residential development and is considered to enhance the immediate surroundings. The scheme has been designed to work with the constraints and opportunities of the site.

“The proposed development would avoid the areas at risk of flooding, protect the setting of prominent trees, and work with the topography of the site. It will sit dwellings within the slope and integrate the scheme into the landscape, providing a positive and aesthetically pleasing neighbour to the adjacent linear park.”