YATTON Parish Council has accused North Somerset Council of 'not listening to what the community needs' after it agreed to give outline planning consent for a housing estate in the village, worth £15 million. The site for the planned 73 house estate, at

YATTON Parish Council has accused North Somerset Council of 'not listening to what the community needs' after it agreed to give outline planning consent for a housing estate in the village, worth £15 million. The site for the planned 73 house estate, at North End, is currently occupied by Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology, which will be relocating to a new building at Locking Parklands in Weston to make way for the development by UK house building giant Redrow.The 3.43 acre site will be situated at the northern end of the village, about 400 metres from the railway station, where there is currently a two-storey 1960s office block, a large industrial steel framed building, a yard and a car park. Of the planned homes, 51 will be for private sale and 22 will be affordable units, comprising six shared equity and 16 rented, with a mixture of one and two-bedroom apartments and three and four-bedroom houses.Yatton Parish Council chairman, Faith Moulin, said: "We are very disappointed that the estate got the go-ahead at North End, in a place where there are very few facilities as it is, and equally disappointed at the loss of an employer in the area."We would have preferred more business and employment at the site, and fought the decision to give permission to the development, but North Somerset Council does not listen to what the community needs."Michael Blake, land director of Redrow Homes South West, said: "The scheme will turn an outdated brownfield site into a high quality residential environment, and will also be supporting local employment in different ways."Our cash commitment to the area will be £465,000, and will include a major contribution to education provision, off-site public open spaces and off-site highways works, a cycle way link across adjoining open space, a pelican crossing, new footpaths, streetlights and bus stops."A spokesman for North Somerset Council said: "Although the site is an existing employment site, it is within the recognised settlement boundary of the village and within close proximity to local shops, other facilities and services."The site is in an established residential area and it is considered that the amenities and character of the surrounding properties are likely to be enhanced by the development of the site for housing. There were very few, if any, local resident objections to the change of use from industrial to residential use."Although the parish council has concerns about the sustainability of the site, it is well within the settlement boundary of the village. "Demand for employment sites in Yatton is low, existing local supply is adequate, and it is likely in this case that over time industrial activities will cause problems for local residents or will be regarded as unsuitably located on the highway network. "Oxford Instruments will be relocating within the boundaries of North Somerset and therefore overall the district will not lose out on any loss of employment.