Whitchurch residents are looking forward to the opening of new allotments in the new year.

Whitchurch Parish Council was approached in November 2007 about securing a site and found one on the junction of the A37 and Norton Lane.

The project hit a buffer when Bath and North East Somerset Council (B&NES) told the parish council that the site was subject to a full planning application.

They spent months putting together detailed plans and a report but after local B&NES councillor Peter Edwards approached chair of planning Les Kew, he ruled there was in fact no need for planning permission at all.

Mr Edwards said: "Mr Kew's ruling was subsequently upheld by the planning department.

"After two months they then refunded all the money we had expended for the planning application which was about £200.

"We lost six months and as opposed to the allotments being up and running in the autumn the community is having to wait until the new year. It was very frustrating."

But since that bridge was crossed it has been full steam ahead with local residents and businesses all backing the venture.

Mr Edwards managed to obtain £4,000 funding direct from B&NES, the parish council contributed £1,000, and £100 was donated courtesy of the village fete committee.

Volunteers set to work on clearing the site last March and by September a total of 21 plots were marked out.

Businesses, including Hinton Organics, Bristol Water and agricultural contractor Andy Dawes, have also lent their services for free to help the project.

Whitchurch parish councillor Colette Watson said: "Now we are up and running and the efforts by local residents and the help from local businesses has been amazing.

"Already all but one of the plots have been taken so, it's a shame, but we will have a long waiting list. One of the plots has been put aside for use by children at the local schools so they can come down and grow their own vegetables.

"We need to get fencing up which we hope will be paid for by a grant from the food lottery but we are relatively confident we will be up and running by the new year."

Whitchurch resident Mike Parsons added: "Allotments are something that we had in Whitchurch in my childhood and they have been something a number of residents have been talking about wanting back.

"Allotments involve the whole family, produce fresh food using organic principles and foster community spirit. It is fantastic to think we are on the brink of having them back."

Angus Cunningham, managing director of Hinton Organics, who provided 15 tonnes of compost, said: "When the allotments are all marked out and ready to go, we're donating more soil conditioner so that the gardeners can fine tune the soil in their own patches and ensure a great first harvest."

A spokesman for B&NES said: "When the plan for the allotments was originally submitted it required planning permission. A revised plan didn't require planning permission because the plans had been scaled down from what they were previously."