NEW planning rules that will force a 30 per cent rise in housebuilding in South Gloucestershire are a “potential disaster” and an “attack on green spaces”, critics warn.
The Labour Government has announced changes to how many homes it thinks each local authority should be required to find land for.
In South Gloucestershire it means an increase from 1,317 at present to 1,717 every year over the next 15 years – a total of 6,000 extra homes than planned.
It follows an announcement on July 30 over changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which underpins the planning system.
The changes would mean some =protected greenbelt land deemed to be low quality, such as disused petrol stations and car parks, being redesignated “grey belt” where development would be made much easier to approve.
South Gloucestershire opposition Conservative councillors have criticised the plans as an “attack” on the district’s countryside and promised to fight them.
They say the changes come on top of plans already being pursued by the council’s Lib Dem/Labour administration that would see the “wholesale destruction of large swathes of greenbelt land”, particularly in the East Fringe.
Group leader Cllr Sam Bromiley said: “The Conservative group is completely and unequivocally opposed to these new planning rules.
“These new rules are yet another attack on South Gloucestershire’s precious green spaces and we will continue to fight them every step of the way.”
Ex-council leader and now Thornbury & Yate Lib Dem MP Claire Young slammed the proposals.
She said: “Here in South Gloucestershire, we’re already struggling to meet current targets – never mind having to also locate space for 6,000 extra properties. It’s frankly a fairytale. That’s why I’m urging the Government to rethink these proposals.”
Last month, residents held a demonstration at a meeting of South Gloucestershire Council cabinet against plans for thousands of homes on the greenbelt near Kingswood as members approved the next stage of a 15-year blueprint for the district’s future, including where more than 22,000 new homes should be built.
The protest by campaign group Save Our Green Spaces South Gloucestershire was against the latest Local Plan, which is out to consultation.
The masterplan allocates land for 22,241 homes 2025 to 2040.
The difference with earlier versions of the Local Plan was that it added 17 new sites, nine in the greenbelt, with a total of 1,751 additional homes.
Council leaders told the meeting they were not destroying the greenbelt and that there was no choice but to allocate a small proportion of previously protected land for homes to tackle the housing crisis.
Asked to comment on Angela Rayner’s announcement, a South Gloucestershire Council spokesperson said: “The Government is asking for views on proposed changes to the NPPF, which it hopes will support its ambition to increase the number of affordable homes and deliver economic growth.
“The council is currently evaluating these proposals as they have implications across our Local Plan.
“We then intend to bring forward a final version of the plan for a decision before submitting the plan for examination in 2025.”
By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service