A blueprint for 35,000 new homes in Bristol over the next 15 years will be examined in public by government planning inspectors over the next nine weeks. The city council’s Local Plan sets out where homes, jobs and supporting infrastructure such as roads, public transport, schools and GP surgeries, along with shops, leisure and open spaces, should be by 2040.
A total of 34,650 homes – 1,925 each year on average – are envisaged, including at least 12,000 classed as affordable. Most will be on previously developed sites, called brownfield, in central areas such as Broadmead, Western Harbour, Temple Quarter and Frome Gateway in St Judes.
But some of the existing greenbelt at Brislington, Bishopsworth and the proposed Longmoor Village next to Ashton Vale are earmarked for housing. And despite all the new development, Bristol’s housing needs will still not be met, according to the hefty document.
The plan was approved at a full council meeting of Bristol City Council in October 2023. It includes a raft of new rules for the city’s growth, including proximity of new housing estates to transport links, energy efficiency, capping how many student flats should be allowed in an area, space for community use and allotments, public toilets in shops, affordable workspaces, a ban on artificial grass, and prohibiting three or more takeaways next to each other.
The Planning Inspectorate’s public examination starts on Tuesday, February 25, at M Shed. More details are here.
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