NO MORE big housing schemes will be built anywhere in the Weston area for the time being following a planning inspector's ruling. A decision by inspector Richard Poppleton puts a firm block on plans for major housing projects on RAF Locking and Weston Air

NO MORE big housing schemes will be built anywhere in the Weston area for the time being following a planning inspector's ruling.A decision by inspector Richard Poppleton puts a firm block on plans for major housing projects on RAF Locking and Weston Airfield as well as anywhere else in the area until 2011.The inspector made his decision following an inquiry at The Campus last year. The ruling is expected to be adopted by North Somerset Council by the end of the year.A council expert told the Weston & Somerset Mercury the authority would turn down all but exceptional major housing applications.Economic planning policy specialist Martin Wilsher said: "The inspector accepted the council's position that there was a need to redress the homes jobs imbalance. "He said there should be no more housing up to 2011 other than what has already been agreed, which include about 700 units in and around West Wick and St Georges."He said it shouldn't be an absolute ceiling and there would always be windfall sites that come up unexpectedly."We never say never, but unless a developer comes up with an extremely good reason, like developing on a brownfield site within the development boundary, our starting point would be to say no."It is in effect saying there can't be a housing development on RAF Locking or the Weston Airfield until 2011."A regional spatial strategy is due to be adopted in 2008 which recommends allowing 9,000 houses to be built in Weston between 2006-2026. Mr Wilsher said that once adopted, the strategy will carry considerable weight and could be used to argue against the inspector's decision.