Anger as South Gloucestershire Council approves 15-year housing blueprint despite ‘decimation of the greenbelt’

Dozens of protesters voiced their anger at the proposed “decimation of the greenbelt” as councillors approved the final 15-year draft blueprint for the future of South Gloucestershire. The Local Plan, which allocates land for 22,500 homes and thousands of jobs from 2026-41, now goes out to a final round of public consultation from the end of the month before the document and all the comments are sent to a government planning inspector for public examination in spring next year.

The Lib Dem/Labour administration voted in favour at a full council meeting of South Gloucestershire Council on Wednesday evening (February 12), insisting that although some decisions had been painful, this was the best vision for the district, with new homes located in places that could be supported by vital infrastructure, such as schools, GP surgeries, employment, roads and public transport. They said that if the plan was not published by a deadline of March 12, new government housing targets would mean having to add an extra 5,000 homes.

Opposition Conservatives voted against publishing the plan and demanded changes. Numerous public speakers at the packed meeting vented their dismay.

Siston Parish Council chair Andrew Stacey told councillors: “Residents are extremely angry that you’ve chosen to decimate a major part of the greenbelt within the parish and build a wholly unnecessary number of houses. You claim this will balance up the employment statistics by supplying more employment land but you provide no evidence of the type of jobs that will be created.”

He said roads such as the A420 in Warmley were already heavily congested and that this would only get worse with so many new homes and cars. Mr Stacey said building on the greenbelt would “condemn residents to a lifetime of ill-health” because of increased traffic pollution and a loss of cherished open spaces that provide physical and mental wellbeing.

He said: “Don’t sacrifice the residents of Siston parish on the altar of unnecessary mass housing development.” Conservative candidate for West of England metro mayor Steve Smith said the Labour government had “trampled over local decision-making” by imposing higher housing numbers on South Gloucestershire and undermining protections for the greenbelt.

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“To add to this, the government is now holding a gun to your head saying if you don’t meet this grossly-inflated target, government will punish you by increasing the damage even further,” he said. “So I understand the challenge, but you are failing in this challenge, you’re getting it wrong.

“You’ve produced a plan which is unfair and unsound. You’ve clearly targeted the greenbelt to be stripped away from the entire eastern fringe of Kingswood which is disproportionate and unsustainable.”

Tory group leader Cllr Sam Bromiley said the administration had not listened to residents’ worries. He said: “The anger is clear. We’ve heard the very real stories of how this plan will affect people whose lives will be ruined.

“This council needs to publish before the March deadline, I agree, otherwise we face being punished by the Labour government with even more houses on our green fields. However, I cannot support the plan today as it is.

“There are genuine concerns that cannot be ignored. It’s the duty of this council to step back and meet with residents.

“Let’s pull this tonight, come together and see what we can do collectively.” Independent Cllr Ian Scott, who was recently expelled from Labour for announcing a bid to run against the party’s candidate in the metro mayor election this May, said the NHS could not cope with so many residents even now, and voted against publishing the plan.

He said the Labour government must deliver on the promise it made back in 2008 to build a Frenchay community hospital. Cllr Scott said the previous Conservative government instead built an urgent treatment centre in South Bristol but that residents in Greater Kingswood and East Bristol were being treated like “second-class citizens with a second-class health service”.

Cabinet member for planning, regeneration and infrastructure Cllr Chris Willmore (Lib Dem, Yate North) said: “Without a Local Plan we have been at the whim of developers putting in speculative planning applications and getting consent on appeal. That has to stop. The only way to do that is to get a plan in place, otherwise we might as well go home and let the market rip.

“There may be some here who think that may be the right solution – the idea of just opening the doors and letting anyone build whatever they want in the countryside. But I don’t believe that’s the solution.

“We all need the certainty and vision of a strategy because that’s the only way we can stand a fighting chance of making sure the infrastructure that we need before development takes place is put in place. This plan has a crystal clear vision.

“The idea is to reduce the need for people to travel as far to work, to reduce unsustainable trans-greenbelt commuting.” She said proposals included wind turbines that would deliver energy for the whole district, radical changes in making new homes cheaper to heat and more planet-friendly, and new affordable homes for rent in rural communities of fewer than 3,000 people.

Cllr Willmore said: “There are nationally groundbreaking proposals about age-friendly housing. It changes the nature of what independent living will mean so that we do not ghettoise and shut away older folk.”

Council leader Cllr Maggie Tyrrell (Lib Dem, Thornbury) said: “It’s a mammoth task to produce this plan. This plan will shape our district for many years to come.

“For understandable reasons we get many representations from the public about the housing sites in the plan but the fact is that these are the best that we’ve been able to find. But this document is much more than a list of sites.

“The strategy shown in the plan means that housing will be delivered in the most sustainable locations where schools, health and transport issues can best be addressed so that communities, not just houses, can be built. I’m pleased to see this plan truly recognising the climate and nature emergency.

“The Local Plan firmly embeds the principles of renewable energy and improving biodiversity.” Council co-leader Cllr Ian Boulton (Labour, Staple Hill & Mangotsfield) said: “At a time when home ownership has become a luxury for many, we are proud of the Labour Party’s work to change this – both nationally and locally.

“This plan ensures that our residents have access to warm, safe, and affordable housing. The Labour group is committed to working with residents and stakeholders throughout the consultation process to ensure that the plan meets the needs of the community.

“As South Gloucestershire continues to grow, this Local Plan is a crucial blueprint for development that prioritises the wellbeing of its residents.”