Portishead Independents

04/11/2026

Just one week to get your comments in on the Tower Farm outline planning application.

You can comment at: https://planning.n-somerset.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=TJAPIKLPFKV00

01/11/2026

The examination hearings for the North Somerset Local Plan begin on 10th November.

These are a key part of the process whereby three Government Planning Inspectors assess whether the Plan has been prepared in accordance with legal and procedural requirements and if it is “sound”. At the end of the examination the Inspectors will send a report to NSC recommending whether or not it can adopt the plan. Usually these reports will recommend some changes that are necessary to allow the plan to be adopted.

Portishead Town Council will be represented at the most relevant sessions to our town, namely:
Matter 2 – Vision and Spatial Strategy;
Matter 3 – Green Belt;
Matter 13 - Other Housing allocations (Tower Farm and Black Rock).

In addition, Avon Wildlife Trust will be represented at Matters 3 and 13 plus some Portishead residents will be making representations at Matter 13.

You can see the submissions that have been submitted to the Inspectors prior to the hearings athttps://www.hwa.uk.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Examination-Documents-List-29-10-2026-3.pdf . There’s an awful lot there so you might want to focus on the Portishead-related documents under the heading Matter 13.

The hearings will run until 10th December (unless the reserve dates in January are required).

30/10/2026

Don't forget tomorrow's gathering at Merlin Park to show our support for the protection of Weston Big Wood.

🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🤍

10am-12pm Saturday 31st October.

Let's get as many people there as we can.

(Please walk/cycle/catch a bus if you can.)

28/10/2026

This Saturday, 31st October, 10am - 12pm.
Merlin Park lower field.
A peaceful gathering - please come along if you can.

🌳 PORTISHEAD, WE STOOD TOGETHER IN 2021 AND WE WILL STAND AGAIN IN 2026- THIS TIME WITH THE BBC.

In 2021 this town stood up for Weston Big Wood, and the North Somerset Times was there to see it. Five years on, the wood, its wildlife and the fields around it need us again.

BBC Points West are sending a reporter and camera crew. What they film on Saturday is what the whole region sees. Let’s give them a field full of people.

🌳 THE GATHERING FOR WESTON BIG WOOD
Saturday 31st October 2026
10am to 12 noon
Lower field, Merlin Park, Portishead

🤍 Wear white. We’re forming a giant heart on the field for a drone photograph, and white is what shows from the air and the love and passion we as a community feel for the wood and its green belt buffer fields.
Bring family, friends and neighbours.
Walk if you can or use the local bus. There’s no parking at the field.

You don’t need to be a campaigner and nobody has to make a speech. Just be there. Families, children, walkers, wildlife lovers, anyone who has ever walked under those trees: this is your invitation.

More than 11,000 people have signed the petition, online and on paper. Saturday is where that number becomes faces.

PLEASE SHARE THIS POST, invite a friend and make a plan to be there.

🤍 One community. One voice. One woodland.

Photo from

26/10/2026

Were you unable to attend the Save Weston Big Wood public meeting, which took place last week?

The recording of the meeting is now available to watch online.

👉 www.portishead.gov.uk/portishead-down-and-tower-farm

The meeting provided residents with an opportunity to hear more about the proposed additional development sites, the Save Weston Big Wood campaign, and the issues affecting our local green spaces.

Whether you couldn't attend on the night or would like to revisit the discussion, you can now view the recording and find further information at:

🌳

24/10/2026

Just a quick message to let you know that the planning portal on the NSC website will be unavailable on Monday and Tuesday next week, so it won't be possible to respond to the Save Weston Big Wood - Portishead outline planning application. It should be back on Wednesday.

22/10/2026

A big thank you to everyone who attended last night’s Save Portishead Down & Weston Big Wood meeting and in particular to the speakers. A recording will be shared as soon as possible.

As promised, here is some guidance for anyone who would like some assistance in responding to the Tower Farm outline planning application.

What is it?
• This is an outline planning application, which basically means that the developer is seeking planning permission in principle subject to further details to be agreed in a second application that would be made at a later date.
• This is separate from the North Somerset Council Local Plan, which is now at the examination stage. Hearings regarding that start next month, and Portishead Town Council, Avon Wildlife Trust plus a number of local residents will be representing the town and trying to get both Tower Farm and the “Black Rock” development removed from this Plan and kept within the Green Belt.
• We therefore have two opportunities to fight the Tower Farm development – the Local Plan examination and this planning application.

How to respond to the planning application
• You can view the application here: https://planning.n-somerset.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=TJAPIKLPFKV00 . As you will see, there are an awful lot of documents forming the application. Three of the key ones are the Planning Statement, Ecological Impact Assessment and Transport Assessment.
• You can post your comments here: https://planning.n-somerset.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=TJAPIKLPFKV00
• The deadline for responses is now 11th November.

What to say
• Unfortunately, just saying that the land is in the Green Belt so shouldn’t be built on carries little weight these days. The law was changed a couple of years ago to allow Green Belt land to be redefined as “Grey Belt” and built on.
• However, this is only supposed to happen in “very special” or “exceptional” circumstances. We therefore need to show that such circumstances do not exist.
• Some ideas for things to mention are:
o Harm to the environment that can’t be mitigated – The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) specifically mentions SSSIs and irreplaceable habitats as potential reasons for development to be refused. The developer’s Ecological Impact Assessment makes it look like everything will be fine with their “mitigation” measures, but we would definitely not agree!
o It’s not a sustainable site – Preference is given to sites that are in sustainable locations, and the developer is of course claiming that it is. Their Transport Assessment paints picture of a site that’s an easy walk from the High Street/quick cycle to the new station and that won’t make the traffic around the school much worse because it’s fine at the moment with plenty of extra capacity, so you might have something to say about that!.
o The application does not comply with the “Golden Rules” – The NPPF allows building on Green Belt land only if its Golden Rules are followed. These say that a certain amount of homes built must be “affordable”. NSC’s Plan says there should be 50% but the developer is proposing only 30%. The Golden Rules also say that necessary improvements to local infrastructure must be made, but there is precious little of actual value being promised by the developer. In addition, green space that support nature recovery should also be provided, whereas these plans appear to do the opposite.
o This land isn’t needed for NSC to hit their housing targets – NSC’s Plan currently includes more new homes than they need, so this site could be rejected.
• Save Weston Big Wood have produced a very useful guide to commenting: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u3Qc43Hbo4P8xAFO9hs6ssjAQDYqEd9t/view?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAcGRvZgFicmlkETBQRFpJTlhUQ3NwbFoyTEhic3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHlpen6QErB6F7YCdmnTUy3v3B8A4ZD5jkA7Mv5kVUZ1paflVF1Og3L3cpyH9_aem_zBLFWicvSAfU4yULiAIA1g
• They’ve also produced this excellent short film that you might find useful: https://youtu.be/BbfXQXuaDNI?si=uvfiwbVRcsqQxgyF
• You could also take a look at the comments that have already been made for ideas (but please don’t just copy and paste): https://planning.n-somerset.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=neighbourComments&keyVal=TJAPIKLPFKV00
• Portishead Town Council’s response to North Somerset’s Local Plan consultation regarding Tower Farm might also be of assistance with some of the issues: https://www.portishead.gov.uk/uploads/tower-farm-ptc-response-20251209.pdf?v=1765449468
• You don’t need to try to cover everything – you could just pick one point that you feel strongly about, but remember to try to stick to something to do with planning, not just something emotional.
• Remember – they are only allowed to build on the Green Belt if there’s a strong reason to allow it. The more times and the more ways we can say there isn’t a strong reason, the better.

21/10/2026

If you can, please take some time to watch the film linked. Really useful information, and helpful for those who might need some tips on what to include when submitting comments on the planning portal.

Don't forget to get your tickets for this evening's meeting at Somerset Hall, if you haven't already.

🌳 NEW FILM: WHERE DOES WESTON BIG WOOD END? 🌳

We’re called Save Weston Big Wood. But this campaign has never just been about the trees.

It’s about the fields, hedgerows and open land surrounding the wood, and the wildlife that depends on these connected habitats. 💚

Our new film explores the bigger picture and asks some important questions.

❓ Where does the wood really end? It’s not necessarily where the map says.

❓ Why was the Green Belt boundary drawn where it is, and what was it intended to protect?

❓ How did the Council explain removing Tower Farm from the Green Belt? How much detail did that explanation contain?

❓ Does Portishead need Tower Farm and Black Rock to meet its housing requirements?

❓ Can a strip of grass really replace the fields and habitats that are there now?

❓ And what will we be passing on to the next generation?

🎬 Set aside 20 minutes, grab a cuppa and watch our film to the end.

▶️ WATCH HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbfXQXuaDNI

THEN, PLEASE TAKE TWO IMPORTANT ACTIONS:

1️⃣ SHARE THIS POST. Help us reach more people across Portishead and beyond. The more people who understand what’s at stake, the better informed our community can be.

2️⃣ HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE PLANNING APPLICATION. Submit your own comment on the Tower Farm application, reference 26/P/1618/OUT, through the North Somerset Council planning portal by Thursday 5 November.

👉 Go straight to the comments page here:
https://planning.n-somerset.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=TJAPIKLPFKV00

Click “Make a Comment”. You’ll need to register or log in.

If the link doesn’t work, visit planning.n-somerset.gov.uk, search for 26/P/1618/OUT and open the Comments tab.

You can also submit a written comment by post, quoting the application reference, to:

Planning
North Somerset Council
Town Hall
Weston-super-Mare
BS23 1UJ

Please note: comments on Facebook don’t count as formal planning representations. Make sure yours reaches the Council through the planning portal or by post.

💚 The wood doesn’t stop at the trees. Neither should we.

One community. One voice. One Woodland.

15/10/2026

The new Tower Farm planning application is open until THURS 5 NOVEMBER.
This is your opportunity to voice your opinions and share your views.
please follow the link below and submit your comments!
EVERY COMMENT MATTERS.
Please take a few minutes to have your say and help protect Weston Big Wood and our greenbelt for future generations.
PLEASE SHARE TO SPREAD THE WORD.

The new planning application is open until THURS 5 NOVEMBER.
This is your opportunity to voice your opinions and share your views.

Submit your comments via:
https://planning.n-somerset.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=TJAPIKLPFKV00

Guidance is available here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u3Qc43Hbo4P8xAFO9hs6ssjAQDYqEd9t/view?usp=drivesdk

EVERY COMMENT MATTERS.
Please take a few minutes to have your say and help protect Weston Big Wood and our greenbelt for future generations.

PLEASE SHARE TO SPREAD THE WORD.

14/10/2026

It was a privilege today to be part of the team handing in the petition signed by 11255 people asking for the protection of our ancient woodland and the wider Gordano Valley national nature reserve from development that will endanger it’s future and have a negative impact on our enjoyment of nature, our wellbeing and that of future generations .