Villagers have launched a campaign to stop more than 10,000

homes being built on Bristol green belt.

More than 100 people packed Dundry's village hall to plan

their campaign against the proposals.

And they told council planners: "Keep your hands off our

green belt."

They vowed to fight "tooth and nail" to stop the proposed

new town, likely to be called Yanley.

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Last night's meeting was organised by the newly-formed

Dundry Residents' Action Group (Drag).

It was launched last month after proposals were revealed to

build 9,000 new homes on about 200 hectares of green-belt land

in North Somerset, and a further 1,500 homes over the border in

Bristol.

The land stretches from the A38 at Dundry, near the Barrow

Tanks, right down to the A370 Long Ashton bypass to Ashton

Vale.

The development, which is currently in the draft planning

stages, would be built in phases over 20 years from 2011, to

meet Government targets for new housing for the region's

growing population.

But at the heated meeting, residents told members of North

Somerset Council's planning department that the green belt

which separates its northern villages from Bristol must be

saved.

Bernard Thompson, 78, of Highridge Road, has lived in Dundry

with his wife, Gill, for 34 years.

He said: "I do not want to see the green belt swallowed up

by housing – it is the last thing we have. They should keep

their hands off our green belt."

Other residents said they were concerned about the affect

the extra development would have on local roads and that the

area lacked the services and infrastructure needed for so many

new homes.

John Phillips, of Highridge Road, has lived in the village

for more than 40 years. He said: "It already takes people hours

to get into Bristol from out here – why is that going to be

different when this new town is created?"

Other residents said they had not been consulted on the

blueprint and had only learnt about the proposal three weeks

ago.

David Nevitt, 45, of Ham Lane, Dundry, asked: "How can you

justify building more than 10,000 new homes when the ones we

have already are not selling?"

And Geoff Nicholls, a 60-year-old builder from Bridgwater

Road, said: "I was astounded when I saw the size of the

proposed new town – especially as we had no advance warning

about it."

Jill Lax, a mum of three of Bridgwater Road, said: "We

should fight this application tooth and nail."

North Somerset Council head of economy and regeneration

Marian Barber attended the meeting with colleague Joy Milsom, a

principal planning officer for the authority.

Mrs Barber admitted that not all residents had received

information about the proposals for new homes but said the

development was 'not a done deal'. She said: "We do not want to

repeat mistakes of the past, where developments have been built

which are remote or inaccessible, nor do we want to swamp

existing services."

"This land was identified by the South West Regional

Assembly in the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) as an area for

development."

The Government is also proposing 9,000 new homes be built in

South East Bristol, 3,000 homes at Hicks Gate, 10,000 homes in

North and North East Bristol, 3,000 in Yate and 2,000 dwellings

south of Bath. The RSS is also proposes that a further 9,000

homes be built in Weston-super-Mare.

If the North Somerset development gets the green light it

could include six new primary schools, a new secondary school,

a link road between the A370 and A38, a railway station and

park-and-ride site.

Drag spokesman Debbie Nicholls said: "Unless we act now and

fight this plan Dundry will lose its identity and become

encased in concrete."