'Wrong houses in wrong place': Villagers battle over field

Around 100 Painswickians have organised as The Friends of New Drive Field to oppose plans submitted by Bruton Knowles for eight houses on the land off Stamages Lane.

The Quedgeley-based consultant has a client who wants to build six houses with five bedrooms and two affordable homes with three on the land, which has a footpath through the middle.

“We are alarmed and disappointed,” David Allott of The Friends told a village meeting on Wednesday.

“We do want more houses in Painswick ... but we are not short of five bedroom houses. We need the right houses in the right place.”

Aside from opposing the type of houses, the Friends fear the plans will harm Painswick’s character.

“That field has become increasingly important,” Mr Allott told the SNJ ahead of the meeting.

“It’s one of the few remaining bits of open space in the village. Southern Painswick will be continuous housing if the plans go ahead.”

In any case, the Friends hope to get New Drive reclassified as part of Painswick’s conservation area - especially as this is not the first time the land has appeared on a developer’s radar.

In 1987 an inspector rejected an appeal against a refusal for eight houses on the field, according to The Painswick Beacon.

A spokesperson for Bruton Knowles said: "The site has no restrictive designations on and is within the settlement boundary of Painswick.

"The site could accommodate more smaller houses than proposed, however the density chosen was a balance between the size of the site and the density of surrounding houses.

"Bruton Knowles ensures it follows all required standards, and the application is in keeping with Stroud District Council’s policy, and proposes two smaller affordable houses.

“With housing in Stroud in high demand, the site, where there are no restrictive land use designations, is a good option, as it is likely to mean less pressure will be placed on sites surrounding the town for housing.”