People in Paulton are keen to preserve its status as a village as it continues to expand.

Hundreds of homes have been built in recent years, making it the second biggest village in Bath and North East Somerset and putting pressure on local services.

After broken promises of a care home, a pub and industrial units on the old Purnell printworks site, residents have lost faith in developers.

Some feel there is little point objecting to the latest plans for more than 200 new homes because they will be ignored, while others think it is inevitable that Paulton will one day merge with Midsomer Norton.

Councillor Grant Johnson, who was born and raised in Paulton, said: "None of us are against the need to build houses. It should be on brownfield sites where possible.

"Purnell was a brownfield site. Gladman want to build 130 homes on farmland. It's making the population of Paulton even larger.

"The roads can't cope with the increase in traffic. The local surgery, dentists and schools are all stretched. We don't want them to be at maximum capacity all the time.

"When they put in an outline application they say this or that's going to happen.

"We were supposed to have industrial units, a community building, a care home and a pub."

Those facilities would have provided some solace after the loss of 400 jobs when the Polestar Purnell print works closed in 2005.

Starting small in Somerset in 1839, in its heyday Purnell and Sons had grown to become one of the largest print groups in the UK, publishing and printing millions of colour books, magazines and catalogues.

The outline redevelopment plans for the site – submitted by the now dissolved Purnell Property Partnership headed by Christopher Purnell – was for the "mixed use redevelopment of former printworks comprising offices, industrial, residential, continuing care retirement community, pub/restaurant, community building, open space".

Cllr Johnson said: "Developers promise all these lovely things that don't materialise until they get their money's worth out of the land.

"We haven't got industrial units and we haven't got a care home. It's just empty promises.

"In outline plans you can say whatever you want.

"When Gladman promise this, that and the other, people just don't believe it any more."

The firm said its plans for 130 homes on a 7.4-hectare site off Farrington Road, 30 per cent of which would be "affordable", would help to tackle the national housing crisis by "providing new homes for real people who are in real need now".

It said in its application: "The site is a logical extension to Paulton. It is a sustainable location being situated within walking distance of local facilities, services and public transportation links.

"The development can positively address site constraints and successfully integrate with the urban edge and landscape surroundings.

"The development will create new amenity space for both new and existing residents and will enhance public access across the site."

Gladman's application has been met with some 370 objections, with many warning the village "can't cope" with further expansion.

Cllr Johnson said: "Because we aren't greenbelt people can feel helpless to do anything about it – they think plans will go through regardless of whatever objection they put in. They feel let down."

Another source of frustration in Paulton is a proposed change to Bath and North East Somerset Council's Local Plan – replacing the community facilities once promised in the Purnell development with 80 new homes at Oxleaze Way.

Unsuccessfully challenging the "disproportionate" allocation in July, Cllr Liz Hardman said: "The current housing developments have added around 500 homes to Paulton's population, putting a very large strain on our infrastructure.

"The infant and junior schools have already been expanded and cannot be expanded further.

"An additional 80 homes will mean children won't be able to attend their local school. It would put an incredible strain on our surgery and on our roads."

It is going to merge with Midsomer Norton

There is consensus in the village on the pressures it faces.

One resident, Clive Rivers, said: "There's been a big impact from all the new houses. They're still trying to build more. The facilities can't cope. You can't get in the doctors or the chemist.

"It's going to merge with Midsomer Norton. It's going to happen.

"No matter how much we protest, it doesn't make a difference.

"If they don't get permission now they'll get it in a couple of years' time."

A former Purnell worker who did not give her name said the printworks was the heart of the village.

Clive Moon, who worked there as relatives had done before him, said: "There used to be a lot of pubs and little shops. On Saturdays there would be long queues outside the chip shop.

"Younger people are never going to be able to afford these houses.

Kim Moon said: "They say what they're going to do and then don't do any of it.

"It won't make any difference that everyone is against the Gladman development.

"We're going to be a town soon."

Determined to preserve the village identity is Pride in Paulton, a group formed after the "devastating" blow of Purnell's closure.

Opportunists ; We get all the houses and not much else

Hilary Smyth, its chair, said: "A lot of villages just have a road going through them. Paulton still feels like a village. I hope it will stay as a village.

"Down Phillis Hill it's almost merging with Midsomer Norton. The whole idea of green areas was to prevent urban sprawl.

"Green lungs are so important. With the imperative of climate change we can't keep building on fields.

"I don't know how much development they will allow. I hope they'll be able to stop some of the latest opportunists."

Pride in Paulton volunteer Hazel Rowcliff added: "We're getting all the houses but not much else.

"When Purnell closed for housing we felt we'd given our quota to the council.

"There was going to be a care village, a community pub, industrial units. They've barely even put a park bench in there.

"There's just dread about other developments.

"We still keep getting all these applications from opportunists."

The Purnell site was developed by house builders Bovis and Barratt.

A spokesperson for Barratt Developments said: "Our involvement in this site was for residential development on part of the Polestar Print works, which was completed by 2010.

"We were not involved in the original mixed use plans by the previous owner or on any wider delivery on the remainder of the site."

Bovis was approached for comment.