The land in-between the two developments would be retained as open space.  The intention is to turn this land into a publicly accessible country park, maintaining the gap between Locking and Elborough in perpetuity.

A plan showing the proposed country park in-between the two developments

The country park has been designed to incorporate the site’s existing green infrastructure – the network of hedgerows, the Site of Nature Conservation Interest and adjacent grassland – and the site’s blue infrastructure – the Hutton & Locking Rhyne, the wet and dry ditches and flood zones – into a large area of public open space.  These existing features would be enhanced with new tree, grassland and wetland planting (including a proposed orchard and wildflower meadow) and with new landscaped attenuation features as part of the sustainable drainage strategy.

 

The country park would be open to the public at all times, with footpaths and cycleways across the central section providing new north-south routes between Locking and Elborough as well as east-west ones.  The existing Public Right of Way to the west would also be retained to its original route. No vehicle links would be provided between the two developments across the open space.

 

Additional measures are also proposed to ensure the protection of views from the Mendip Hills National Landscape to the south. This includes retaining and where possible enhancing the vegetation along the site’s northern boundary, as well as ensuring that the proposed development on the land south of Old Banwell Road, Locking does not break the skyline through a small setback from the road.

 

Two children’s play areas are also proposed: one next to the proposed new pedestrian access from Locking in the north-east corner, and one to the south opposite Elborough Farm.