Claverham's future, decided on evidence.
We're a group of residents working to make sure decisions about how Claverham develops are made on the facts — our roads, our drainage, our wildlife sites and the character of the village. We support new housing — in the right place, with the right infrastructure.
What's happening now
This is our running status page — so you always know where things stand without waiting for an email. We update it whenever something changes.
What we're working on now
High Street: the consultation has closed — but it is not too late to write
The formal consultation on the High Street application (26/P/1613/OUT) closed on Friday 2 October 2026. As at 8 October there are more than 320 comments on the Council’s public file. Thank you to everyone who wrote in.
The application has not yet been decided. The Council’s planning portal gives a target decision date of Tuesday 10 November 2026, though dates like this can be extended. Its comment form is still open, and the case officer has told us in writing that comments made after the closing date will be considered up to the point of decision — adding that “the earlier they are received the better”.
If you have not written yet, please do it now. The case officer writes her report before the decision is made, so a letter that arrives in the next week or two can still shape it; one that arrives later may not. If you have already written, your comment stands on the file and you do not need to send it again.
Since the closing date the Council has published two new documents: comments from its Urban Design team (5 October) and a Planning Statement Addendum from the applicant (7 October). We are reading both and will report here, including if either opens a new chance to comment. Write your letter →
Our formal objection to the High Street application is in
Claverham Future’s formal objection, prepared by our planning consultant, was lodged with North Somerset Council on Friday 2 October 2026, the closing day, and is now on the public file. It asks the Council to refuse the application.
In summary, it argues that the scheme is unnecessary and out of scale with Claverham; that it is contrary to the Council’s adopted and emerging Local Plans; and that the application does not properly assess its effects on protected sites and heritage assets, so those effects cannot be weighed in the decision. You can read it in full on the Council’s planning portal (Documents tab, “Objection letter 02/10/26”).
Yatton Parish Council recommends refusal
Yatton Parish Council’s Planning Committee considered the High Street application on Monday 21 September. Its draft minute records:
“RESOLVED: that councillors strongly recommended refusal of application 26/P/1613/OUT.”
Among its reasons, the minute says: “The Parish Council do not support the development of this site.” The minute is a draft until the Parish Council confirms it at its next planning meeting on 19 October.
Thank you to everyone who came to Hangstones Pavilion that evening. Claverham Future spoke during the public participation part of the meeting.
We are setting up a pledge scheme — register your interest
Fighting these applications properly means paying for professional planning advice, and we need to know what the village can afford before we commit to it. We are putting a pledge scheme in place, and the committee is finalising how it will work. Leave us your details now and we will come back to you with the detail — there is nothing to pay and no amount to decide today. Register your interest →
Road
Claverham Road: the Council has confirmed there will be a re-consultation
The applicant is expected to submit further information on highways and on flood risk and drainage. On 28 August we wrote to North Somerset Council asking it to run a full re-consultation once that material is published — consulting everyone who was consulted the first time and everyone who has written in since — to allow at least 21 days, and to extend the decision deadline rather than shorten the consultation to fit it.
The Council’s case officer replied on 30 September 2026. She told us that once the applicant’s amended plans and other documents are received they will be published on the planning portal and a re-consultation will take place. She does not yet know when that material will be submitted, and said it is most likely that a further extension of time will be requested, to allow for the documents, the re-consultation and the decision. The Council has not yet told us who will be re-consulted or for how long; we have asked it to confirm.
When the new material appears we will publish our grounds and a letter builder for it, and we will say so here.
In the meantime the application is still open for comment — where things stand.
Refreshing Claverham's Neighbourhood Plan
Our Neighbourhood Plan runs to 2026 and is now being refreshed with Yatton Parish Council. Step one is a two-minute snap poll, open until Thursday 5 November. Take it online now, or come and find our stall at the Village Market on Saturday 17 October. More about the Plan and the snap poll →
Recent updates
High Street closing date confirmed as Friday 2 October
After the planning portal began showing a later date, we asked North Somerset Council to confirm when comments on the High Street application closed. The case officer confirmed in writing that the date had moved to Friday 2 October 2026 because a further consultation letter had been issued, and asked for comments as early as possible.
Thank you to everyone who came to the Main Hall drop-in
Thank you to everyone who came along on Friday 4 September in the Main Hall. If you were not able to make it, the letter builder does the same job on your own in about five minutes — and comments on High Street close on Friday 2 October 2026.
Thank you to everyone who came to the drop-in sessions
A very big thank you to all those who attended our drop-in sessions in the Skittle Alley on Thursday 27 August. We had a fantastic turnout of residents, and were also very pleased that Tessa Munt, our local MP, Wendy Griggs, our local councillor, and Chris Jackson, the chair of Yatton Parish Council, all made time to attend.
We hope that those who attended found the session helpful. We certainly did — particularly listening to your comments and personal observations and experiences, all of which make a stronger argument against this development and all of which we have noted.
The deadline has been extended — High Street comments now close Thursday 17 September
North Somerset Council has extended the consultation on the High Street application (26/P/1613/OUT). Comments now close on Thursday 17 September 2026 — a week later than the original date of 10 September.
Claverham Future asked the Council for an extension on 24 August, and Yatton Parish Council asked for one too. The Government replaced the National Planning Policy Framework on 17 August, six days into the consultation — it is the version the Council must now apply, and everyone needs time to read it properly.
The extra week gives everyone more time to read the application and write to the Council.
Nothing else about the application changes. If you have already sent your comments to the Council, they stand on the file and you do not need to send them again. If you have not yet written, you now have an extra week to do it — write your letter here.
Claverham Road — a new decision deadline, and time to comment again
North Somerset Council has recorded an extended determination deadline of Friday 30 October 2026 for the Claverham Road application (Wain Homes, 100 dwellings, 26/P/0872/FUL). The application cannot be decided before that date.
The formal consultation closed in June, but comments are still accepted while the application is undecided, so there is still time to write to the Council about Claverham Road. The 298 letters already sent stand on the file; if you wrote in June you do not need to write again. If you did not, this is your opportunity — our planning consultant’s advice is to write by Friday 23 October 2026 at the latest. Comment on the Council’s portal →
This does not change anything about High Street. That is a separate application (26/P/1613/OUT) and comments on it still close on Thursday 17 September 2026. [Update, 11 September: the closing date is now Friday 2 October 2026.] Write your High Street letter →
National planning policy has changed — and we’ve asked the Council for more time
The Government published a new National Planning Policy Framework on 17 August, six days into this consultation. It replaces the version the applicant’s own planning case was written against, and it is the version the Council must now apply. We have worked back through the points in our response, updated them for the new Framework, and sent them to our planning consultant, who is reviewing them now.
We have also asked North Somerset Council to extend the deadline for comments, so that everyone has time to read the application in the light of the new Framework. Yatton Parish Council has asked the Council for an extension as well.
Please bear with us. We are working hard on this and will be in touch as soon as there is something for you to do. In the meantime, please keep sending us evidence — what residents have seen here is the part of the case no consultant can supply.
Update, 26 August: the Council has extended the deadline by a week, to Thursday 17 September 2026.
High Street application validated — comments close 10 September
North Somerset Council validated the High Street application on 11 August 2026 and published it as 26/P/1613/OUT. The application runs to 40 documents — plans, forms and the developer’s own technical reports. The consultation runs until Thursday 10 September 2026. We are working through the documents now and will publish what we find as we go.
High Street application submitted to the Council
Latimer Developments / Clarion Housing Group submitted their application for up to 120 affordable homes and a community shop north of High Street. It was received by the Council on 5 August and validated six days later.
Claverham Road consultation closed — a huge community response
The consultation on the Claverham Road application (Wain Homes, 100 dwellings) closed. 298 objections were submitted to the Council. The application is still awaiting a decision — see the update of 26 August above.
Who we are
Our purpose & values
- Evidence, not emotion — every claim we make is sourced.
- Protect what makes Claverham Claverham — community, landscape, infrastructure, wildlife and character.
- Open and honest — transparent about what we do and how funds are spent.
- For the whole village — supporters and objectors alike. The consultation belongs to everyone, and we say so.
Background
Claverham Future was formed in 2013, when an unexpected application appeared for a large number of houses on farmland behind Chestnut Drive. The group alerted the village, gathered the evidence, and the application was withdrawn before it was decided. It went on to write Claverham's first Neighbourhood Plan, covering 2016–2026.
By 2025 two things were clear: the Plan was nearing the end of its life and would need rewriting, and further applications were likely. At a village meeting in August 2025 the original group stepped down and asked residents to nominate a new leadership team to take Claverham Future forward.
Who is involved
We are neighbours, not campaigners: parents, farmers, commuters, retired residents and newcomers, who share a simple aim — that decisions about Claverham are made on the evidence, and that our roads, drainage, wildlife sites and village character are properly weighed when growth is considered.
How we work
We review the major planning applications affecting the village and test each one against the evidence and against Claverham's Neighbourhood Plan. Where a scheme meets that test, we will say so. Where it doesn't, we set out why — in the Council's own terms, using material planning considerations and sourced facts, and always in a professional tone.
The committee
Claverham Future is run by a committee of ten Claverham residents, chaired by Jane Dare. Between us we hold the roles of Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, and cover the areas that matter most to the planning applications — agriculture, drainage, ecology, transport, education and more. We meet regularly to review what is happening in the village. We are volunteers — nobody is paid, and none of us has any commercial interest in the outcome of any application.
Claverham Future is a community group.
The two developments we're responding to
Two separate applications on opposite edges of the village. Each is at a different stage. Here's where each stands and what our main concerns are — every point below is one we can evidence.
accepted
Ref 26/P/0872/FUL · Land North of Claverham Road · 100 dwellings · submitted 15 April 2026
Status: The formal consultation closed (~25 June 2026). 298 objections were submitted to the Council. The Council’s original decision date of 12 August 2026 passed without a decision, and North Somerset Council has now recorded an extended determination deadline of Friday 30 October 2026 on its planning portal. The application cannot be decided before then.
Although the consultation period has closed, there is still time to write to the Council about Claverham Road — comments are accepted while the application is undecided. Our planning consultant’s advice is to write by Friday 23 October 2026 at the latest. If you wrote in June your letter stands and you do not need to write again.
What we understand about the delay, what we have asked the Council — and what it has not yet answered
We understand that:
- the outstanding matters relate to highways, and to flood risk and drainage;
- the applicant is working to address comments raised by statutory consultees, including NSC Highways and the Lead Local Flood Authority;
- once those responses are received, the case officer is expected to re-consult some statutory consultees, with any new documents added to the planning portal;
- given the holiday period and a recent reallocation of the application within the planning team, a decision is not expected before October 2026.
We wrote to the Council asking it to confirm or correct this by 20 August 2026. That date has passed and we have received no reply. What is set out above is therefore our understanding, not something the Council has confirmed.
On 28 August 2026 we wrote again, asking the Council to carry out a full re-consultation once the applicant’s further information is published — consulting everyone who was consulted the first time and everyone who has written in since — to allow at least 21 days, and to extend the decision deadline rather than shorten the consultation to fit it. We also asked when the new information is expected and whether it will arrive all at once.
The Council’s case officer replied on 30 September 2026. She told us that once the amended plans and other documents are received they will be published on the planning portal and a re-consultation will take place. She does not yet know when the revised material will be submitted. She said it is most likely that a further extension of time will be requested, so the 30 October date may move. The Council has not yet told us who will be re-consulted or for how long; we have asked it to confirm.
We will update this page when the Council answers those points or when new documents appear.
Our headline concerns
Everything about this application is public on North Somerset Council's planning portal — the plans and documents Wain Homes submitted, the objection letters residents sent, consultee reports, key dates and, once made, the Council's decision.
View or comment on this application on the Council's portal →accepted
Ref 26/P/1613/OUT · Land North of High Street · up to 120 affordable dwellings plus a community shop · Latimer Developments Ltd / Clarion Housing Group · received 5 August 2026
This is an outline application with all matters reserved except the strategic access. That means the Council is deciding two things now: whether building here is acceptable in principle, and the new vehicle access onto High Street. Scale, layout, appearance and landscaping come back later in a separate application.
Status: Validated by North Somerset Council on 11 August 2026. The formal consultation closed on Friday 2 October 2026, with more than 320 comments on the public file, including Claverham Future’s formal objection. Yatton Parish Council has recommended refusal. The application is awaiting a decision: the Council’s target date is Tuesday 10 November 2026, and it is still accepting comments until it decides.
Our headline concerns
Claverham needs affordable homes, and a village shop would be welcome. Our concerns are about this site — the junction, the evidence base and the scale — not about who the homes are for.
Have your say on this application →The community response makes a difference
On the Claverham Road application, 298 objections were submitted to the Council (source: North Somerset Council planning portal). Individual letters, each making reasoned planning points, are exactly what carries weight with the Council and, if needed, at appeal — far more than a petition. On High Street, more than 320 comments are now on the Council’s file — thank you. If you have not written yet, it is not too late.
What happens next — and when your comments count
Knowing the stages helps you write at the moment it matters most. For High Street, the formal consultation has closed and the Council is now assessing the application.
1 · Submitted
The developer sends the application to the Council.
2 · Validated
The Council checks the application is complete and publishes it. This is when a reference number appears. High Street was validated on 11 August 2026 as 26/P/1613/OUT.
3 · Consultation
A set period when anyone can comment. For High Street it ran from 11 August to 2 October 2026. The case officer has told us that comments made later are still considered up to the point of decision — but the earlier the better.
4 · Assessment
The case officer weighs the application against planning policy, the consultees’ responses and residents’ comments. The applicant may submit further or amended information; if it is significant, the Council may consult again. The officer then writes a report with a recommendation.
5 · Decision
Council officers, or the Council’s planning committee, decide to approve or refuse. The target date for High Street is Tuesday 10 November 2026; dates like this are often extended.
6 · Possible appeal
If refused, the developer may appeal to the national Planning Inspectorate — where our evidence matters again.
Refreshing Claverham's Neighbourhood Development Plan
Alongside our work on the current applications, we're taking forward a longer-term piece of work for the whole village with Yatton Parish Council: reviewing and refreshing our Neighbourhood Plan.
A Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) is a legal planning document written by the community and voted for at referendum. It sits alongside the Council's own Local Plan and carries full statutory weight in planning decisions.
Claverham's NDP was adopted in February 2018. It designates Claverham as an "infill village" — meaning modest development within the existing village, not large greenfield estates bolted onto the edges.
The Plan is one of the strongest long-term tools the village has: it is how residents, rather than developers, set out where and how Claverham should grow. Ours is now nearing the end of its life, so we are refreshing it — with Yatton Parish Council, which is the body that formally makes the Plan — ready for the decisions ahead.
Step one: the snap poll
The work is now under way. The first step is a short snap poll: five questions that take about two minutes. Your answers set the priorities for the full questionnaire, which will later go to every household, and in time to a village referendum on the new Plan.
Take the snap poll now →Or find us at the Village Market on Saturday 17 October (Claverham Village Hall, 10am till 12pm), at the school gates, or at the Claverham Ladies’ Guild, where you can scan a QR code or fill in a paper copy.
The snap poll closes on Thursday 5 November.
We’re still looking for two residents to help deliver the Plan. No planning experience needed.
Register your interest →Have your say in about five minutes
Our free letter builder asks a few plain questions and turns your answers into a properly argued planning letter in your own words — ready to send to the Council.
Your own words matter most. What planners value are your personal, first-hand observations — the flooding you've seen, the traffic on the school run, the walk you take across those fields. The letter builder helps you turn those into the right planning language.
The builder has been rebuilt for the High Street application, because that one is an outline application and needs a different set of points — its content is drawn from the applicant's own submitted documents and written against the new National Planning Policy Framework published on 17 August. It takes about five minutes. The formal consultation closed on Friday 2 October 2026, but the Council is still accepting comments until it decides, so the builder stays open. If you have not written yet, please do it now — the sooner your letter arrives, the more likely it is to be taken into account.
We also ran in-person drop-in sessions in August and September, where the committee helped residents write their letters on the spot. If you were not able to come to one, the builder below does the same job on your own — and you are very welcome to get in touch if you would like a hand.
Which application do you want to write about?
Claverham Road (Wain Homes)
The consultation period closed in June and 298 letters were sent — thank you to everyone who wrote in. The Council has since set an extended determination deadline of Friday 30 October 2026, and comments are still accepted while the application is undecided. If you did not write in June, you can still have your say — our planning consultant’s advice is to write by Friday 23 October 2026 at the latest. There is no letter builder for this application yet — for now comments go straight to the Council’s portal. We have asked the Council for a full re-consultation, and if one is held we will publish a letter builder for it.
Comment on the Council’s portal →High Street (Latimer / Clarion)
The formal consultation closed on 2 October, but the application has not been decided and the Council is still accepting comments — its target decision date is Tuesday 10 November 2026. Our letter builder for this application asks a few plain questions and turns your answers into a properly argued planning letter in your own words, ready to send. Because this is an outline application it concentrates on the access onto High Street and whether building here is right in principle — at this stage, points about layout, house design or appearance carry very little weight.
Write your letter — about five minutes →Prefer to write your own? Comment directly on the Council's website — quote the reference 26/P/1613/OUT and give your name and address.
If you support an application
Claverham Future has concerns about both of these schemes, and our letter builder is written to help residents set those concerns out. But the consultation belongs to the whole village, not to us. If you support an application, you can say so too — comment directly on North Somerset Council's planning portal, quoting the reference number, and the Council must take your comment into account in exactly the same way. The High Street application is 26/P/1613/OUT on the Council's portal.
The evidence behind our case
Everything we say is built on documents we can point to. Every figure we publish traces back to a named source, and we'll always tell you what that source is if you ask.
What we look at
Our committee works through the developers' own submitted documents alongside independent sources, and builds the village's response from what they actually say. The main areas we assess:
- Traffic, highway safety and the bus service
- Pavements and walking routes — for people on foot, in wheelchairs and with buggies
- Ecology — the Bats SAC, protected species, biodiversity
- Flood risk, surface water and foul drainage
- Agricultural land quality and landscape
- Fit with the Neighbourhood Plan and the Local Plan
Every document the developers have submitted is public on the Council’s planning portal, so you can always check what we say against the original.
Send us evidence or photos
First-hand local evidence is the most useful thing residents can give us, because the developers’ consultants do not have it. What helps most:
- Standing water after heavy rain — a dated photo is ideal
- The High Street junction at school-run time
- Bats at dusk — roughly where, and roughly when
- Near-misses or damage on the lanes
There are two ways to send it, depending on what you have:
Tell us what you’ve seen
A few questions about what you have noticed and roughly where. No account, no login — anyone can use this.
Tell us what you’ve seen →Send photos or documents
For photographs, videos or files. This one asks you to sign in to a free Google account — that is how the upload works, and it is the only way we can receive your file safely.
Upload photos or files →Prefer email? Send it to claverhamfuture@gmail.com. We use what you send only to support our letter builder and the official Claverham Future letter to the Council, and we never publish your name. How we handle your details.
The single most useful thing you can do
Join our mailing list. Email is by far the best way for us to reach you — one clear message when it matters, never spam.
Add your email and you'll hear from us when a consultation opens, when there's real news, or when we need the village to act. That's it.
We’ll only use your email to send Claverham Future updates. No sharing, unsubscribe any time. How we handle your details.
Follow us on Facebook
For lighter updates and reminders. Email is still the best way to reach us — Facebook is a bonus.
Join our Facebook groupLend a hand
We're looking for around two new committee members and volunteers for stalls and events. No experience needed.
Upcoming events
- Sat 17 Oct — Claverham Village Market, Claverham Village Hall, 1 Mayors Road, 10am till 12pm. Come and find our stall: take the Neighbourhood Plan snap poll and ask us about pledging.
- Oct/Nov — Fundraising barn dance. Date to be confirmed. Watch this space!
- More soon — further market dates will be announced here and by email
Would you back us with a pledge?
Making the case properly means paying for professional planning advice, and the committee has to know what the village can afford before committing to it. So we are setting up a pledge scheme. We are still working out exactly how it will run — but if you think you would take part, tell us now and we will come back to you with the detail. There is nothing to pay today and no amount to decide.
How it will work
- You leave us your details. That is all this does. No money changes hands and nothing leaves your account.
- We come back to you. Once the committee has agreed how the scheme works, we will email everyone who has registered and explain it properly — including what the money would be spent on.
- You pledge — and we only ask for it if we need it. A pledge is a promise, not a payment. We would come back and ask you to send it only if the committee has to instruct the planning consultant again or take a case to appeal.
Your details stay with the committee and are never published. As with donations, we publish totals only — no individual is ever named. How we handle your details.
Would you rather give straight away instead? The bank details are just below, under Help fund the work.
Register your interest
Registering your interest lets us send you the detail once the scheme is agreed. Your details are used only to contact you about the pledge scheme. We don’t share them. How we handle your details.
Prefer to email? Write to claverhamfuture@gmail.com and we will add you.
Help fund the work
Making the case properly costs money. The single biggest cost is professional planning advice — a consultant who can meet the developers' experts on equal terms and draft our formal representations. Printing, materials and event costs add up too.
We keep spending modest and only commit to what we can afford. Every pound goes toward protecting the village.
How to donate
By bank transfer, to our own account. These are the same details printed on our flyer.
| Account name | Claverham Future |
|---|---|
| Bank | Lloyds Bank |
| Sort code | 30-54-66 |
| Account number | 56812260 |
If you would rather give another way, or you want to run a fundraiser for us, get in touch.
Where the money goes — our transparency promise
We'll always be straight about what comes in and how it's spent. We publish totals, not names — no individual donor is ever identified.
- In: resident donations and fundraising events.
- Out: planning-consultant fees, printing/flyers, event and materials costs.
Our figures to 25 August 2026
| Money in | £3,841.00 |
|---|---|
| Money out | £2,319.44 |
| In the bank | £1,521.56 |
Covering 7 October 2025 to 25 August 2026, and reconciled against our bank statement.
About £600 of that balance is already committed to the next stage of professional planning advice, so there is less in hand than the figure suggests — which is why we are still asking.
Frequently asked questions
Does my comment really count?
Can children or teenagers comment?
What is a "material planning consideration"?
Can I comment more than once?
Get in touch
Prefer email? Write to the committee at claverhamfuture@gmail.com.
Your details are used only to reply to you and, if you ask to join the mailing list, to send Claverham Future updates. We don’t share them. How we handle your details.
How we handle your details
Short version: we only collect what you give us through one of our forms — on this site or one of our two evidence forms — we use it only for what you asked for, and we never sell or share it.
What we collect, and why
- Mailing list — your email address, and your first name if you give it, so we can email you about the planning applications and about Claverham Future.
- Contact form — your name, email address and message, so we can reply.
- Evidence — your name, email address, what you tell us about the material, and any file you attach, so we can come back to you with questions if we need to. We never include your name, email address or any other identifying detail in our response or submission to the Council — only the evidence itself.
- Letter builder — the name, connection to the site and personal observations you type in, so the builder can draft your letter, and the email address you give if you ask us to send the letter to you.
Who sees it
The Claverham Future committee. Form submissions are processed by Netlify, who host this website; mailing-list addresses are held in Mailchimp. We do not pass your details to anyone else, and we never sell them.
The letter builder works differently. What you type into it is sent to Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI service, so that a draft letter can be written for you, and to EmailJS if you ask for the finished letter by email. We do not keep what you type — it stays in your own browser, and your letter is sent only to the address you give. Your comment to the Council is made by you, in your own name.
Evidence you send us
We use what you send only to support our letter builder and the official Claverham Future letter to the Council. Comments to the Council are made by residents themselves, in their own names. Evidence such as photographs may be included in our own report to the Council at the end of the consultation period — but we do not include your personal details when we do, and we never publish your name.
How long we keep it
Mailing-list addresses until you unsubscribe — every email has an unsubscribe link. Messages and evidence for as long as the planning applications they relate to are live, including any appeal. Nothing you type into the letter builder is kept by us.
Cookies
This page sets no cookies and runs no analytics or tracking of any kind.
Asking us to remove your details
Email claverhamfuture@gmail.com and we will delete what we hold about you.