MEMBERS of the Pickwick Association have compared a site for 150 homes to the killing fields of Vietnam after it was sprayed by weed killer ahead of a study that will determine the outcome of the planning application.

Redrow South West submitted a detailed planning application for 150 homes and two office blocks in the land north of Bath Road in April and May, but the developers have been accused of bullying tactics to try and secure full planning permission.

David Taylor, Chairman of the Pickwick Association said: "The field is in fact on the edge of Pickwick and a field that, until sprayed with weed killer recently, provided a safe environment for a number of UK protected wildlife species, including bats.

"This field was granted outline planning permission for 150 homes and two office blocks after an eight day appeal in 2015 with the proviso that mitigation measures must be in place to protect that wildlife."

The group are claiming that the spraying took play shortly after the planning authority told Redrow Homes that further bat studies will be required before full planning permission could be considered and that the farmer had not sprayed his land for 20 years or more.

However, the association also claim that Redrow obstructed a public right of way through the field with a fence and erected a marketing board and called the development site Brakspear without consulting Sir Harold Brakspear's family, who still live in the village.

"It’s not as though we oppose development for the sake of it," Mr Taylor added. "We’ve had a very successful development of 900 houses just over the way at Katherine Park, and another 750 are in the pipeline nearby.

"Indeed, we applaud Bellway Homes, developer of the ex-MOD Copenacre site, who are building some 100 houses just 100 yards further up the road. Our point is that development just has to be in the right place; a site heavily trafficked by protected species is not the right place."

Lee Hawker, managing director of Redrow's South West division said: "We have made an application for reserved matters permission for a development in Pickwick, which concerns approval of the layout of the site, following outline planning permission being granted at Appeal in May 2015.

“Our interest in this site, which is currently owned and farmed by the landowner, forms part of our continuing work with local councils to deliver much needed homes for people in the South West. As part of this process we have been working closely with the local authority to design a high quality family focused scheme that reflects the character of its locality and the principles approved within the existing outline consent.”