“We know this represents a significant change, and we understand that people will have different views”
HorseWorld CEO Jo Coombs(Image: ©Barbara Evripidou)
The boss of a well-known equine charity and sanctuary on the edge of Bristol has said selling the land to housing developers and moving to a new site will ensure its future, after plans for a new town of 1,000 homes were revealed.
Jo Coombs, the chief executive of HorseWorld, has called on supporters of the charity in Whitchurch Village, on the southern edge of Bristol, to get involved in the consultation that Bristol Live revealed earlier this week is to be held by developers Barwood Land.
The developers are holding a drop-in session later this month into plans for 1,000 new homes, a new primary school and a community hub on a large swathe of countryside to the east of Whitchurch Village, the south of Stockwood in Bristol and close to Queen Charlton and Keynsham.
Some of the land, in North East Somerset, is owned by Horseworld, and Jo Coombs said the charity had taken the decision to bring in Barwood Land, who would buy the land from them if they get planning permission.
There has been speculation that Horseworld’s fields at Keynes Farm, on the edge of Whitchurch Village, would be built on for 10 years, with Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Local Plan finally suggesting it as a site for new housing last year – to fury from villagers.
Jo Coombs said the pressures on the horse sanctuary were threatening its long-term survival.
“Since 2016, land around Keynes Farm has been considered for new housing by the local council,” she said.
“We are taking a proactive approach in response to the council’s plan to ensure we can secure a sustainable future for HorseWorld and increase the impact of our life-changing work. We have appointed locally based land promoters Barwood Land to lead the planning process alongside the council’s land-use plan. We are consulting with a wide range of our community to seek their feedback,” she added.
Plans for 1,000 homes, a new school and community centre are to be unveiled later in June 2026 on a vast swathe of land that includes Horseworld, on the edge of Whitchurch Village and Stockwood in South Bristol(Image: Barwood Land/Google Earth)
“Year on year we face an ever-increasing demand for our services, both to rescue and rehabilitate neglected and abused horses, and to deliver our critical work with young people struggling in mainstream education. Alongside this rising demand, we face rising costs that threaten the future of our charity,” she said.
“The reality is that we cannot continue as we are indefinitely. A future land sale would ensure the charity can continue its vital work — protecting what we do by relocating to a new site nearby where we can do even more for the horses and young people who rely on us,” she added.
Last October, villagers turned out in force to a public meeting to discuss the future of Whitchurch Village, with the council’s draft Local Plan suggesting various options, some of which could see 5,000 new homes built around it.
The Barwood Land proposal goes much further than many in Whitchurch Village had thought would be the case if Horseworld was redeveloped, with new homes all the way over to Stockwood and to the woods on the edge of Queen Charlton.
Barwood Land will unveil the details of its proposals at the consultation event, get feedback and feed that into a planning application, which is expected later this year.
Jo said she knew there were mixed views about the plans. “We understand that some people will have concerns about development on this land,” she said.
HorseWorld (Image: HorseWorld)
“It has been vital to us that any proposed site design reflects the care we have taken of this site over many years. A significant proportion – more than 50 per cent – would remain as green, open space, with enhanced biodiversity and, importantly, new opportunities for public access — something that has not been possible whilst the site has been used to care for vulnerable horses and young people.
“We know this represents a significant change, and we understand that people will have different views. We warmly invite everyone with a connection to HorseWorld — our supporters, volunteers, local residents and the wider community — to take part in the consultation and share their feedback,” she added.
The Whitchurch Village new town of 1,000 homes comes just days after Bristol Live revealed there are plans for five other ‘new towns’ around the edge of Bristol. One is already getting established – the Brabazon development on the former Filton Airfield – and metro mayor Helen Godwin looks set to start a Mayoral Development Agency to push through the development of a new town near Bristol Parkway station, and the ‘North Lyde Eco-Tech Village’, which would see Bristol’s urban boundary extend beyond the M4 towards Westerleigh.
At the start of June, Bristol Live revealed the ‘masterplan’ for a new town at Hicks Gate, which would effectively physically merge Bristol and Keynsham with thousands of new homes, just a few fields and a golf course away from the land south of Stockwood.
And developers also held a consultation event for a new town called Woodspring, which could be built either side of the A38 just outside Bristol, on land between Long Ashton, Dundry and Barrow Gurney.