As Bath and North East Somerset Council seemingly struggles to introduce new planning legislation that could protect rural areas from mass housing developments, community groups and residents in Peasedown St John have decided not to wait around and get on with defending the green fields around their village in a strong campaign.

Community group, Peasedown 1st, and local villagers have come out against the newly-submitted plans to build 89 more homes – this time on a small field in Greenlands Road. Bristol-based housebuilder, Edward Ware Homes Ltd, submitted a planning application in December to build the dwellings, despite strong opposition from residents.

So far, 813 people have signed a petition against the proposal, which will be submitted to the Council to demonstrate the depth of local feeling. Residents are also raising thousands of pounds to hire an expert planning consultant to help them submit effective objections to the application.

Many are concerned that the proposed estate will lead to major traffic problems, make the village's serious parking difficulties worse and put more stress on local services that are already overburdened. They say that the field is also outside the housing development boundary, the area of the village identified by Bath and North East Somerset Council as appropriate for new housing.

Peasedown 1st Secretary and local resident, Becci McCafferty, has signed the petition against the plans. She said: "We've taken our fair share of extra housing over the last twenty years. As we are now the largest village in the south of England with almost 7,000 people living here, I think enough is enough!"

The proposed site has poor access and is on a steep gradient. Peasedown 1st fear that the additional housing, along with the additional vehicles, will be too much for the small village centre.

Becci added: "If residents haven't already done so, they can sign the petition against the development. Residents Protecting Peasedown have worked hard over the last five months to raise awareness of the plans and highlight the difficulties with building so many more dwellings in Greenlands Road."

The village's two Councillors, Sarah Bevan and Nathan Hartley, have pledged to fight the plan. They said: "In all of our years in Peasedown, we've never experienced such strength of feeling about any issue. It's crystal clear to us that a huge number of local people are wholeheartedly opposed to this. We are deeply concerned about the impact this proposed new housing estate will have on the village."

Cllr Sarah Bevan has also objected on the grounds that she believes the site, in formal planning terms, is for agricultural use and development outside the housing boundary and that it was intended to act as a 'green buffer zone' to prevent infill of housing. She believes that another site identified in the strategic housing land assessment study, which runs along the bypass, would be far more suitable and not overload existing roads. Over the past twenty years, Peasedown St John has had nearly 1,500 new dwellings built, putting pressure on existing local services.

Petra Schofield, from the group Residents Protecting Peasedown (RPP), said: "More than 800 people have said that they don't want this housing estate and more people are signing our petition every day. Edward Ware needs to take that on board and withdraw this application now."

RPP is organising a residents' meeting for 7 p.m. on Friday, 18th January at the Waggon and Horses pub, to update residents about the campaign and what they can do to oppose the planning application.

To sign the petition and to find out more about the Residents Protecting Peasedown campaign, visit: http://www.residentsprotecting">www.residentsprotecting peasedown.org or you can sign the petition in person in Peasedown St John Post Office.

The statutory public consultation will now begin, asking people to submit their views on the proposals. For details of how to do this, visit http://www.bathnes.gov.uk">www.bathnes.gov.uk or phone B&NES Council Connect on: 01225 394041.