Council decision on controversial allotment outside Bristol deferred

Controversial plans to build 700 allotments in Somerset have been held up after councillors demanded the allotment company supply more information.

Roots Allotments had applied for a lawful development certificate from North Somerset Council to convert fields in Abbots Leigh into 700 allotments, and parking for 80 cars.

The plans have been controversial, with 204 people submitting objections to the plan and 96 people submitting comments in favour.

Weston-super-Mare Town Hall’s council chamber was packed with the public as the council’s planning committee met to decide the plans on Thursday, July 19.

Addressing the committee, Roots co-founder William Gay introduced himself as “a local boy from Somerset” and said: “We are on a mission to prove that food production can exist alongside nature.”

He said that the allotments would give people access to growing their own food and improve biodiversity on the site.

Police arrived at the allotment site in April after an elderly woman blocked a Roots Allotments vehicle from delivering soil to the site – photo: Pip A’Ness

But several councillors slammed Roots’ decision to apply for a lawful development certificate rather than for planning permission.

A lawful development certificate can be applied for in certain circumstances, such as changing agricultural land from one use to another, and is a legal decision with councillors not as free to exercise their judgement as with a normal planning application.

Councillor Christoper Blades told the planning committee that lawful development certificate route was “sneaky.” He added: “I read through it and thought: ‘Blimey! We can’t turn it down.’”

Planning officers recommended that the committee grant the certificate, warning that there was nothing in the application which gave councillors legal grounds to turn it down.

But others argued that Roots had shown plans for events and other activities in its advertisements and was not simply changing to another form of agricultural land use.

Councillor for the Pill ward on North Somerset Council, which includes the allotments site, Jenna Ho Marris said: “There’s nothing ordinary about these allotments.”

She added: “Let’s do this through planning and let’s get something that works for everyone.

Stuart McQuillian, councillor for the neighbouring Long Aston ward, proposed rejecting the lawful development certificate in order for it to come back as a planning application, where the council to impose conditions on the development.

He said: “With the right conditions I think there’s a good chance that a balance is struck here that’s acceptable to residents and the applicant.”

But councillor Peter Bryant warned against voting the application down. He said that councillors had “acted like numpties” when they refused Bristol Airport planning permission to expand, leading to an appeal which cost the council over £1m.

He said: “Look at this sensibly. We are talking about money that belongs to the people of North Somerset.”

The motion to reject the development failed 4-5. Councillors then voted, nearly unanimously, to defer their decision to a later meeting and order Roots to provide more information about other activities that would happen on the site.

Reacting to the delay, Gay said: “We are very confident that the council will grant the application in the long run.”

He added: “To block people growing their own food in today’s day and age when we import 80 per cent of our food would be ridiculous.”

Dr Sophy Gretton, who attended the meeting on behalf of objectors to the scheme, said: “We hope today’s decision gets the applicants one step closer to submitting a full planning application, through which process there will be greater transparency and clarity about their plans.”

Roots will be required to provide more information about other uses of the site which the council will use to judge whether it still constitutes a change of agricultural use.

Joh Wimperis is a local democracy reporter for North Somerset

Main photo: Mia Vines Booth

Read next:

• Police arrive as locals block Abbots Leigh site from allotment developers
• allotment company defends decision to build on meadow despite objections
• Community allotment saved from closure

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