🌳 9,500 signatures and Chris Packham has joined us in speaking up for Weston Big Wood!

We’ve now passed 9,500 signatures on this petition.

That's over 9,500 people saying that Weston Big Wood and the Green Belt habitats around it matter, and that development should not simply be allowed to close in around this irreplaceable ancient woodland and protected SSSI.

We’re also incredibly grateful for the support of Chris Packham, who has shared our campaign and highlighted exactly what is at stake:

“Weston Big Wood is irreplaceable ancient woodland & a protected SSSI. Yet plans could see around 500 homes built on Tower Farm and Black Rock, enclosing it on both sides. We should be protecting places like this, not building right up to their edges.”

That support means a huge amount to everyone involved in the campaign. But this is still a local campaign, powered by local people, and every signature, conversation, letter and email helps keep the pressure on.

The hedgerows matter too...
When we talk about protecting Weston Big Wood, we must also remember the 1.7 miles of mature, species-rich, hedgerows and connected habitats surrounding it.

These are not just lines between fields. They provide food, shelter, nesting sites and wildlife corridors, helping connect the woodland with the wider landscape.

They are also home to red-listed house sparrows, which are increasingly scarce in many parts of Portishead. The hedgerows around the wood provide important habitat for them and other wildlife.

If Tower Farm and Black Rock are developed, much of this surrounding landscape and its hedgerows would be transformed or lost. That means the impact isn't simply about the footprint of 500 houses. It is about what happens to the whole ecological setting around an ancient woodland and SSSI.

And that is why the campaign is asking an important question:

Should we really be building right up to the edges of one of North Somerset's most important natural places, when we know how valuable the wider habitat is?

📚 Want to understand the case or help?
You don't need to take our word for it. We've made the campaign information freely available so anyone can read the evidence, understand what is being proposed and find practical ways to help.

Our campaign folders include:

1. Start here — what the campaign is asking for
2. The case at a glance
3. The full Campaign Guide (Please share this widely)
4. How you can help — actions and templates
5. Why the Parliamentary Petition matters
6. Posters and campaign materials
7. Photos of Weston Big Wood
8. The full case and supporting evidence

👉 Access the campaign information and action folders here:
Campaign information and action folders

Please share this petition, talk to someone who lives locally, write to your councillors or MP, or simply help someone else understand what is being proposed.

9,500 signatures is an extraordinary milestone. Let's keep going!

Thank you for your support,

Tom & Susan

🌳 Save Weston Big Wood.
Protect the wood, its setting and the wildlife that depends on it.