An eight day planning inquiry is to be start on Tuesday March 15 into plans by Persimmon Homes to build a housing estate on farmland in Backwell, North Somerset.

The York-based housebuilder has appealed against a decision by North Somerset Council to refuse their outline planning application, which would see homes on the A370 demolished and an access road created into Farleigh Fields to build an estate of 125 houses.

Planning Inspector Andrea Mageean has been appointed to hear the appeal. More than 400 local people have written letters of objection to the plans.

North Somerset Council has set up a YouTube channel to live stream the planning inquiry. It can be viewed here: Land at Farleigh Fields, Backwell, Planning Inquiry (Day 1 – Tues 15 March 2022, Morning Session)

Persimmon Homes have had previous applications on Farleigh Fields turned down at all levels, including in 2018 when Sajid Javid, then Secretary of State for Communities and Housing rejected the idea.

Backwell Parish Council was one of the first in the country to draw up a neighbourhood plan outlining where new development should take place within the village. Farleigh Fields is outside of the settlement boundary of Backwell and earmarked to remain as agricultural land.

Objectors have said that building the housing estate would cause greater traffic congestion on the A370; would put pressure on local services, such as schools and doctors; make local flooding worse and damage protected wildlife habitats.

Persimmon, which saw revenues of £3.61 Billion in 2021, despite the pandemic, have reshaped the plans for Farleigh Fields since 2018, seeking outline approval so that details of internal road layouts, house appearance, scale of buildings and landscaping do not have to be revealed at this stage.

Backwell Residents Association and other local objectors will have an opportunity at the inquiry to put forward the views of local people affected by the plans.