Introduction

New Local Plan preparation

We have an adopted Local Plan, the Core Strategy (2013) and Policies Sites and Places Plan (2017). However, we now need to develop a new strategy for growth, change and protection in South Gloucestershire that meets our need for new homes and jobs but also responds to climate change, the need for the economy to become cleaner and greener, protects our environment and encourages greater levels of regeneration in our urban areas. This will enable sustainable change and growth and help to reduce inequalities in all our varied communities.

This is the 2nd phase of preparing a new Local Plan for South Gloucestershire.

The first step in preparing our new Local Plan, the Phase 1 consultation, took place between November 2020 and March 2021 – you can view this here.

That stage included detailed information on the challenges, issues, potential priorities for our new Local Plan. It also gave an overview of the building blocks that we might use to build a new strategy, and some of the approaches to urban, rural and other growth we might need to think about.

What’s in the Phase 2 consultation?

In this consultation we want to begin a more detailed discussion on where growth, change and protection might take place.

The information we want to share and discuss includes;

• how the Local Plan and the emerging West of England Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) will be developed and work together to shape the number of homes, jobs and strategy needed in our area
• further detail on the approaches that could be taken in urban areas and within the boundaries of our market towns to ensure we make the most effective use of limited urban sites and brownfield land – this includes potential sites where redevelopment could take place and how our masterplanning is beginning to suggest positive changes, in certain key places
• further discussion on the approach to growth in all our rural villages and settlements, including which places might be more appropriate to investigate allocations for new homes and jobs, and other mechanisms that would be appropriate for all rural places
• where we might look to designate a network for connected strategic green infrastructure, based on designated sites, landform features and strategic ecological networks
• how much renewable energy generation we need to plan for, and where we might provide renewable energy facilities
• focused draft policies – sharing emerging drafts of polices on strategic green infrastructure and environment, and Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) policies – also included are, draft policies on the urban lifestyles areas and density policy, and a new requirement for biodiversity net gain

Some of the choices and options we need to investigate may overlap and conflict. But we need to start sharing them with our communities to decide how we use land in the district over the next 20 years.

This stage of consultation will then inform the next step in our preparing our new Local Plan.

How will the West of England Spatial Development Strategy shape and be developed in parallel with our new Local Plan?

Our area is part of the West of England. This varied and prosperous sub-region is planning for significant growth of homes, jobs and infrastructure. The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is preparing high level plans setting out how this might be brought forwards – the Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) and new Joint Transport Strategy.

The SDS will provide strategic direction on how the sub region will grow and change and address key issues such as climate change, green infrastructure and nature recovery.

More information about the SDS is available at Spatial Development Strategy – WECA (westofengland-ca.gov.uk).

WECA are planning to publish the draft SDS in Spring 2022 and it will be subject to a 12-week consultation, when residents and businesses across the region will be invited to share their views

Our Local Plan will need to be developed in parallel with the SDS, to confirm the level of new homes and jobs needed in South Gloucestershire and locations to meet this need. However, in advance of the SDS, we think it is helpful to consult on matters that are local and relevant to South Gloucestershire (as set out in the ‘What’s in the Phase 2 consultation?’ section above) and are complementary to strategic planning through the SDS.

Once the SDS is further advanced, the next stage of our Local Plan will need to explore how the sub regional aims and strategy might be delivered in South Gloucestershire and make decisions locally on where change and growth could happen. We will discuss individual sites and places with communities at that time. We will also need to balance options for growth and development with enhancement and protection of the environment, the declared climate emergency and our own local issues.

Key content of the future SDS which will be developed in parallel with our new Local Plan and shape its future include:

A housing requirement for the West of England Combined Authority area and targets for Bristol City Council, Bath and North East Somerset Council and our authority – this is likely to include potential additional homes for South Gloucestershire which our Local Plan will need to take account of.

Broad areas where large scale growth should be investigated – this will shape future Local Plan options for large scale growth, for example urban extensions or new settlements.

A range of strategic planning policies that will overlap and work with policies in our new Local Plan to provide consistent planning approaches across the WECA area on key issues.

What is not in the Phase 2 document and will be presented in future stages of plan preparation?

Potential development sites beyond our urban areas

This document is not a consultation on individual sites across all areas.

We are consulting on a number of potential site allocations in urban areas and within the existing boundaries of our market towns, as part of the urban lifestyles approach. This will help us to understand how much growth we might need to find beyond these areas.

We will consult on individual sites for development across the rest of our area, once there is greater certainty on broad areas for large scale growth, which the SDS will be shaping in parallel with our own Local Plan.

How much new or enhanced infrastructure will be needed and come forward over the next 20 years?

We first need to share early ideas for where growth and change might take place. We can then begin to understand what infrastructure might be needed to support this development. For example work has commenced on future transport plans for the sub region and South Gloucestershire, which will be influenced and informed by options for where large scale and smaller scale growth might take place.

Until we begin discussing potential options for amounts and locations for all scales of growth, it is challenging to predict how much infrastructure might be required. So we are not yet able to set out the strategic and local infrastructure such as new highways, public transport connections, number of new schools and community centres that might be needed.

Once we move towards a preferred option for growth and the places that may change, we can provide more information on the infrastructure to support growth and change over the next 20 years.

All the new and updated planning policies

This document does not contain all the detailed draft planning policies which will be included in our new Local Plan.

We consulted on a focused range of polices in our Phase 1 document. In this consultation we are sharing planning policies on green infrastructure and making efficient use of urban land that relate to options set out in this consultation document. We also have early draft policies on Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO’s) and biodiversity net gain.

However, before we draft and share further planning policies, we need to understand in more detail the overarching strategy for growth, change and protection that will be shaped by the subregional Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) and our own work. We are also still waiting for significant updates to the national planning system to come forward, these changes will strongly influence what goes into our new local planning policies.

In the meantime we want to continue developing and refining policies where it is certain updates and new approaches are needed.

Updates to Local Plan timeline and plan period

By consulting on the next stage of our Local Plan at the start of 2022 we are responding to long-term requirements of our existing and future residents over the next 20 years looking forward to 2042.

We must also ensure under the government’s planning rules that the Plan looks ahead to address the strategic priorities needed to meet the growth and physical and social infrastructure requirements of our area over a minimum of 15 years from the date the Plan is adopted.

Subject to competing the remaining stages of preparing this Plan we expect to adopt it in 2024.  By doing this we will ensure we meet the government’s expectations for strategic policies

Read the next chapter – Key issues – update

Go back to the Local Plan 2020 – Phase 2 Urban, Rural and Key Issues document landing page.