Bristol could soon expand into North Somerset with thousands of homes built in the green belt under new housing targets set by the Labour government.
Thousands of new homes could be built in the countryside directly south of Long Ashton to create a new area of “south west Bristol” under plans which North Somerset Council has put out for public consultation. The local authority has been told by the government it needs to build a mandatory 23,895 by 2040.
This is 8,620 more homes than North Somerset had previously been told it needed to find space for in its local plan. Now, just as it was preparing to submit the major document which determines the planning policies of the area, it has had to delay it once again to find space for thousands more homes.
But in a district where large areas are protected as a result of green belt, flood risk or are part of the Mendip Hills National Landscape, the council’s executive member for spatial planning, placemaking and economy Mark Canniford has warned that finding space for the homes is “a difficult balancing act.”
He said: “This challenge has not been made any easier by the imposition of an increased target by the government. The local plan will try to provide a positive vision for the future of North Somerset, help address housing needs, support employment and help shape local communities.
“This will mean some hard choices and we need local residents and businesses to take part in this consultation and have their say. In particular, if there are alternative ideas or development sites that we can consider, we need to hear that now.”
A consultation proposing where new homes could go will run until Friday March 21. Major new housing locations could include the new village of Wolvershill; more development in Backwell; expanding Nailsea to the north, south, and especially west; building about 1,000 more homes in Pill; and 400 homes on Portishead Down.
But the most controversial proposal is likely to be the area directly south of Long Ashton which could be allocated for 7,000 homes, under what the council has called a plan for “south west Bristol.” The village, which is fiercely proud of its position as a village near but not connected to Bristol, has just lost a battle against plans for an American healthcare technology company to build their European headquarters in a large campus on a triangle of land between the Long Ashton Bypass and South Bristol Link Road. 4,000 homes are under the South West Bristol plan, while another 3,009 could be built in Long Ashton.
North Somerset Council’s planning committee granted planning permission in January, despite the parish council warning: “It would effectively join us to Bristol and we do not wish to be subsumed into Bristol.” The campus will still be mostly green space, but under the plans out for consultation, the Bristol suburbs could not reach around behind it, with homes potentially built around Yanley, across the Woodspring Gold Course, and across the valley to the southern edge of Long Ashton.
To hit the housing target, North Somerset will now need to build 1,593 homes a year. Speaking in December, Mr Canniford pointed out this could pose a logistical challenge. He told a council meeting: “800 to 900 is the most we’ve built in a booming year — and now we are being asked to deliver 1,500 houses going forward, without really the skills out there to do this.”
But he added: “However, we will achieve it. We will make sure we get there.” Councils have been warned that if they do not find the space to hit the new mandatory housing targets, the government will step in and identify sites for the homes instead.
You can comment on the consultation here. More information about the plans can also be found here.
Four drop-in events are also being held where members of the public can view plans and ask questions. There is no need to book:
• Wednesday 26th February – Jubilee Pavillion, Keedwell Hill, Long Ashton, Bristol, BS41 9DP: 3 – 6pm
• Wednesday 5th March – Weston-super-Mare Library, Town Hall, Walliscote Grove Road, W-s-M, BS23 1UJ: 3 – 6pm
• Friday 7th March – Nailsea United Reform Church Hall, Stockway North Nailsea, BS48 1AQ: 3 – 6pm
• Monday 10 March – Backwell WI Hall, Station Road, Backwell, BS48 3QW: 3 – 6pm