HAYDON residents have raised a formal objection with the local authority on the removal of Grovewood Road Field from the Radstock and Haydon conservation area.

An email from the group to Bath and North East Somerset Council is seeking clarity and transparency from the council as they fight to have Parcel 7800 reinstated.

The land, a site of significant prehistoric archaeology, was originally included after being assessed by B&NES officers as forming part of the historic setting of the former Kilmersdon Colliery.

The Iron Age activity on the site is believed to be related to a settlement nearby with the councillor for Radstock on Bath and North East Somerset Council, Lesley Mansell calling it Haydon’s own version of Pompeii.

Yet, the local authority, seemingly under pressure and following an objection from land promoters Silverwood Partnership, removed the parcel of land from the conservation area after the close of the public consultation period.

Planning permission to build 115 homes on the field on the edge of Haydon was subsequently refused in August but an appeal has already been lodged by the developer with the site also included in the B&NES draft Local Plan.

Speaking on behalf of the group Alice Morgan said: “Everything leads us to believe, and from what we can see, as soon as they've received an objection from what is a financially motivated party, they've removed that field without opening any of the conversation, without informing any of the residents.”

Residents of the hamlet only learned of the decision, she says, when they questioned the council’s own heritage team.

Alice added: “There's been no sort of formal update whatsoever for residents and everyone who will have commented on it will be under the impression that that field is still included, because that's what it's still showing on the consultation website.”

Now the residents are asking for detailed information as to the Council’s reasons for treating Parcel 7800 differently than all other surrounding “factually indistinguishable land” after previously supporting the inclusion the Grovewood Road field during the November 2025 public consultation.

The email from the group states: “Residents were never consulted on the removal of Parcel 7800 and were not given an opportunity to comment upon the revised proposal before the amendment was made.

“It seems self-evident that, had the revised boundary been the subject of consultation, a significant number of additional representations may have been received concerning the removal of Parcel 7800.”

If the residents don’t get the answers they are already contemplating obtaining a legal opinion to challenge the council’s actions.

Silverwood Partnership are currently appealing the authority’s decision to refuse planning permission for their proposed 115 homes which was described as 'an unsustainable urban sprawl' at the August planning committee meeting.

Public comments on the appeal must be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate by November 2 under planning application reference 25/03155/OUT.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

As widely reported in the Journal, the public consultation period for the B&NES draft Local Plan closes on October 30.