Mushroom farm scheme for giant airport car park

A SMALL North Somerset village could be besieged by hundreds of cars each day if developers turn a mushroom farm into a park and ride scheme serving Bristol International Airport, it has been claimed.Developers Bristol Park and Fly want to transform part of the site at Monaghan's Mushroom Farm, Langford, into a giant car park for up to 1,200 vehicles.Residents living nearby were invited to a meeting held by the developers at the farm in Stock Lane, last Tuesday, when the company outlined what will happen on the site if its plans go ahead. Managing director, Stephen Merry, the company's sole employee, said: "I intend to lease the land from the farm, and I can give you my personal assurance that if the farm was to go under I would not seek to use the remainder of the land."The developer informed those who attended that: * On average users will park for 10 days.* There would be a maximum of 120 vehicles leaving and arriving each day.* There would be a maximum of 15 cars or vans going out of the site per hour.* The maximum vehicle size would be vans providing a link service to the airport.* A visual impact assessment has identified the need for additional screening of the site.Fears over crime, light and noise pollution were raised by the 70 people who attended the meeting.Resident Tracy Robertson, aged 43, of Hope Farm in Duck Lane, which backs on to the proposed site, said: "In his presentation Mr Merry did not even touch upon environmental issues but spent time talking about the traffic concerns."The development will bring a number of drivers into the area who do not know the roads around here. "They are particularly dangerous and it will end up with road traffic accidents." Stephen Merry said: "Once the emotion of villagers dies down it will be seen as having a positive impact upon the local community."The site will be as secure as the airport's parking facilities."Traffic and ecological assessments will be carried out as part of the planning process.