VILLAGERS celebrated after winning a battle to stop a major housing scheme on green-belt land.

The controversial plan to build 500 homes on 55 acres of land near the crossroads in Failand has been refused planning permission by Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

A family who live opposite where the new entrance to the development would have been in Weston Road said the increased traffic would have been "horrendous".

Angus Biles, 40, said: "It's a great decision for the village. I just don't see why they should have intruded on the green belt.

"I realise new houses have got to be built – but not on open natural land like this.

"The traffic was also the killer for me – the roads around here would not have coped with such a big development."

His wife, Anne, 44, said: "If they built 500 homes, that would have meant at least 1,000 cars – the traffic would have been horrendous."

Cheshire-based land speculators FLP also wanted to build a new school, village green, care home, community centre, shop, medical surgery and business units.

The site lies between Weston Road and school playing fields next to the B3128 Clevedon Road. Another resident, who asked not to be named, said: "I never thought they would stand a chance because the plan was totally ludicrous and inappropriate for the site."

A campaign group called Hands Off Failand Green Belt was set up to fight the plans after they were submitted to North Somerset Council last August.

The group launched a fighting fund, raising £11,000 to pay for legal and planning experts to carry out preparatory work to fight the application.

Wraxall and Failand parish council also raised £50,000 by putting an extra £50 a year on its parish precept.

Parish council chairman Chris Ambrose said: "I think the decision demonstrates all the hard work that the community has put into this.

"It also reinforces the message that the green belt must be protected."

John Chapman, chairman of the action group, said: "A lot of people have spent a lot of time and money and put in a lot of hard work to protect the green belt.

"All this efforts shows how much people value their green belt."

North Somerset Council recommended that the plans should be turned down but because a decision was not taken within the time limit, the developers went to appeal, which led to an eight-day inquiry in March.

Mr Pickles dismissed the appeal on the ground the application was an inappropriate development in the green belt and would encroach into the countryside.

It was also refused on the grounds that it was contrary to national planning policies and North Somerset's own local plan.