Have your say on changes to Policies, Sites and Places Plan

Following the hearing sessions on the Policies Sites and Places Plan (PSP Plan), a number of Main Modifications to the plan are now being released for public consultation. You have until 24th July 2017 to have your say using the official response form. You can only make comments on the Main Modifications, not on any other part of the PSP Plan.

The Schedule of Main Modifications, a response form, along with supporting information are available to view online here.

 The Planning Inspector for the examination will consider comments received on the Main Modifications, before publishing her Report on the overall soundness and suitability for adoption of the PSP Plan.

Time running out to have your say on plan

Time is running out to have your say on the revised Policies, Sites and Places Plan. You have until 7pm on Thursday 8th September to have your say.

The plan provides detailed planning policies that the council will use when making decisions on planning applications and also protects some of our much valued open spaces by designating them Local Green Spaces but not all.

Time to have your say on Local Green Spaces

At the start of the month we reported that South Glos Council had approved a revised Policies, Sites and Places Plan to go out for consultation. That consultation is now available online and you can comment up until 7pm on 8th September.

The plan provides detailed planning policies that the council will use when making decisions on planning applications and also protects some of our much valued open spaces by designating them Local Green Spaces. Others that were nominated as Local Green Space are not being taken forward at this stage, including Woodlands Farm. This consultation is your chance to comment. Further green spaces could be designated in the new Local Plan, which is due to be completed during 2018 and will also allocate new land for housing and provision for travellers.

Revised plan approved for consultation

On Wednesday South Gloucestershire Council approved a revised Policies, Sites and Places (PSP) plan for public consultation.

The plan provides detailed planning policies that the council will use when making decisions on planning applications and also protects some of our much valued open spaces by designating them Local Green Spaces. There will be a formal consultation on the plan over the summer before it is submitted to the Secretary of State in October. A planning inspector will then consider it at an examination in February/March 2017, with the plan expected to be adopted in May next year.

Some of the open spaces that were nominated as Local Green Space could not be taken forward at this stage, including Woodlands Farm. There will be a chance to make further comments during this summer's consultation. Further green spaces could be designated in the new Local Plan, which is due to be completed during 2018 and will also allocate new land for housing and provision for travellers.

For more information about the PSP visit www.southglos.gov.uk/policiessitesandplaces.

Devolution and planning document on the agenda

On Wednesday South Gloucestershire Council will be debating the proposed West of England devolution deal, which would result in a Metro Mayor. North Somerset have already rejected the deal so if it did go ahead it would only cover South Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath & North East Somerset. Also under consideration at the meeting is the revised draft Policies, Sites and Places plan.

You can read more in the agenda papers online. If you attend the meeting you can speak for up to 5 minutes under Items from the Public.

More on the Local Green Space consultation

A number of people have asked questions about the informal consultation on proposed Local Green Spaces. These are sites that local people have nominated for special protection from development. The aim of the consultation is for residents and landowners to comment on the current list and provide further justification for why they should be designated. No new sites can be proposed at this stage.

What land has been nominated?

The first thing to do is to check the list of pieces of land nominated. There are over 500 in the spreadsheet but you can sort them by Parish.

There has been a lot of focus on sites like Woodlands Farm and Engine Common but there are many others proposed locally. In Westerleigh Parish for example:

• Ram Hill Colliery
• Kingshill, Westerleigh
• Logger Steps, Westerleigh
• Bitterwell Lake/Newman Field
• The Pound, Westerleigh
• Fields to edge of settlement boundary between Roundways and the Railway (Coalpit Heath)
• Mayshill
• Village green and war memorial, Westerleigh
• Westerleigh Playing Field
• Ivory Wood
• Pansy Vale
• Pansy Vale and Broad Lane RUPP
• Green area at top of Mill Crescent
• Triangle of land at top of Shorthill Road

How do I comment?

If an area of land is of interest to you, make a note of the "Green space code" in the first column and then look along to the row to see whether it meets the criteria and whether further evidence is needed.

You then need to download and complete this form and email it to PlanningLDF@southglos.gov.uk  - you need to use a separate form for each space you want to comment on.

What if I can't answer all the questions on the form?

Don't be put off if you can't answer all the sections. In many cases the council already has the information it needs for sections A to C (who owns the land and so on). What the council needs help with is the evidence for why the space should be designated a Local Green Space. Fill in those parts and leave the others blank.

How much detail should I provide?
As much as possible! Your local South Glos councillors have been attending meetings with Parish Councillors and South Glos planning officials to go through the lists. The planners stressed how important it is to provide details. So for example, don't just say a green space is used for recreation - detail the type of activities, who does them and how often. If it's got historical significance, spell out exactly what that is.

South Glos provided the following suggestions at their meeting which could be useful to consider to demonstrate the significance of a particular nominated local green space to the local community:

• Use by local organisations – e.g. Scouts/Cubs/Brownies, youth groups, exercise groups, religious groups
• Use by schools
• Use by local sports clubs
• Informal use – is the site publically accessible? Who uses it e.g. by dog walkers, children, general public - how busy is it?
• Local events held in the space – e.g fetes, carnivals, bonfire, heritage/wildlife talks
• Any local groups involved in managing the space e.g. friends groups,
• Allotments – is there a waiting list? Is there a management committee? Are all plots in active use?
• Investment in the space by the council, parish or voluntary groups etc – any improvements e.g tree/wildflower/other planting, new equipment, seating, works to steps, footpaths.
• Lottery/Heritage/other grant funding
• Any play equipment on the site including teen shelters,
• Facilities on site – e.g benches/seating, pavilions, band stand, shelters, information boards
• Is it a well-used route? E.g. safe route to school or route to the shops
• Ecological value – any nature conservation interest e.g. pond, stream, veteran trees, rare species, wildlife corridor
• Historical value – historic buildings (e.g church/cemetery), archaeology ( e.g remains of village pound) or historical association (something historically significant happened there e.g. Hanham Mount)
• Important in views/landscape/townscape – does the space provide a viewpoint out of the area or is it important in views into the area/settlement? Does the site make a contribution to the character and distinctiveness of the local area or streetscape e.g. provides the setting to an historic building/area.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact your Focus Team.

Time running out to have your say on Plan

Time is running out to have your say on protecting our countryside.

You only have until 5pm on 3 July 2015 (not 2nd as we previously reported) to make comments on the Policies, Sites and Places (PSP) Plan which South Glos Council approved for submission to the planning inspector in March.

There have been a number of concerns in our area - including the rejected proposals for new development in Westerleigh and the proposals to change the designation of some traveller sites.
Claire will make sure that the petition that local residents collected in relation to the latter gets to the Inspector but we strongly advise people to write again with their comments as individual letters always carry more weight.

At this stage comments should focus on whether the Plan was prepared according to the legal requirements and whether it is “sound”. This is explained in more detail on the consultation pages on the South Glos website. The best way to comment is using the Council’s online consultation system or you can  email PlanningLDF@southglos.gov.uk

Don't forget there is a separate, informal consultation on the sites put forward for Local Green Space designation, which runs until 30th July. We'll be writing more on this shortly.

Have your say on protecting our green spaces

When we reported recently on the consultation on the Policies, Sites and Places DPD, we said there’d be a separate, informal consultation starting soon on designating pieces of land as Local Green Spaces. That consultation starts today and runs until 30th July 2015. You can find it at www.southglos.gov.uk/lgsd15

Designating land as Local Green Space gives it similar protection to Green Belt status. To designate land it has to be close to the community it serves, demonstrably special to that community (for example, because of its beauty, historic significance, tranquillity or richness of its wildlife), local in character and not an extensive tract of land.

That last point  has raised concern about larger sites like the land at Woodlands Farm, which many of you wrote to the council in support of last year. This makes it even more important that you let the council – and later the Planning Inspector – know how special this land is to our communities by responding to the consultation. Developers will be looking for any opportunity they can to make their case.

Whether or not the land is designated, in the next few years there will be a Green Belt review and we will be looking for your help to get the land at Woodlands Farm included.

Don't forget that you only have until 2nd July to have your say in the formal consultation on the rest of the Policies, Sites and Places DPD.

Have your say to protect our countryside

Now is the time to have your say on protecting our much valued countryside.

Before the election, South Glos Council voted to approve the submission of the Policies, Sites and Places (PSP) Plan to the Planning Inspector. This has now been published on the South Glos website and you have until 5pm on 2 July 2015 to make comments, which will be passed to the Inspector. This is your last chance to have your say if you don’t agree with something in the plan. Residents and local councillors expressed a number of concerns at the meeting in March.

As well as the plan, the council has published a number of other supporting documents – more details are on the website.

What can you comment on?

Comments should focus on whether the Plan was prepared according to the legal requirements and whether it is “sound”. This is explained in more detail on the consultation pages on the South Glos website

How do you comment?

The best way to comment is using the Council’s online consultation system. If that is not possible, you can respond by email to PlanningLDF@southglos.gov.uk or by post to:

Strategic Planning Policy and Specialist Advice Team
South Gloucestershire Council
Environment and Community Services Department
PO Box 299
Civic Centre
High Street
Kingswood
Bristol
BS15 0DR.

The representation form (and guidance note) and statement of representations procedure are available for download. Any representations will be sent to the Planning Inspector and will be made public.

What about the green spaces?

In March councillors decided that more work was needed on the list of pieces of land that local people wanted protected as Local Green Spaces. A further informal consultation will start in June, with formal consultation on the final list later in the year. We’ll explain how to respond to these consultations when they start.

What next?

Once all representations to the PSP Plan Consultation have been received, the Council will submit them along with its proposed submission version of the Plan and its supporting documents to the planning inspector. If you would like any further information, please contact the Strategic Planning Policy Team at PlanningLDF@southglos.gov.uk or on 01454 863469.

South Glos agrees to submit plan to Inspector

At Wednesday night's South Gloucestershire Council meeting the Policies, Sites and Places Plan was approved for submission to the Planning Inspector.

It had already been agreed at a meeting last week that more time was needed to consult people on the Local Green Spaces before the council can decide the final list of sites to be put forward. The council will make a decision on that at a future meeting.

As at last week's meeting, Claire Young explained local people's concerns about the Gypsy and Traveller site policies, which would take land out of the much valued Green Belt. She was one of a number of councillors to vote against the plan being submitted. Once again she also had to defend local residents who had opposed extra housing in Westerleigh, this time in response to a document circulated to all councillors by the agent for one of the landowners.

There will be a six week consultation period on the plan, with responses being passed to the Inspector. This will be your final opportunity to make representations if you are unhappy with what South Glos Council proposes. The separate consultation on the green spaces will run in parallel.

We will let you know how to respond to both these consultations when the details become available.

Policies, Sites and Places update

At Policy and Resources committee this afternoon, the majority of the committee voted for the Policies, Sites and Places plan to go forward to Council on Wednesday.

It was agreed that more time was needed to consult local people on the Local Green Spaces before the council can decide the final list of sites to be put forward. This means you will have another opportunity to comment on sites like Woodlands Farm.

Claire Young explained how important all of the Green Belt in Westerleigh ward is to local people, and therefore voted against the plan because the Gypsy and Traveller site policies would take land out of the Green Belt. She also defended local residents who had opposed extra housing in Westerleigh after a public speaker at today's meeting intimated that there had been "mob rule" at the Parish Council meeting where the decision was made to drop the proposals.

If Council approves the plan for submission to the Inspector on Wednesday, there will be a six week consultation period on the plan, with responses being passed to the Inspector. This will be your final opportunity to make representations if you are unhappy with what South Glos Council proposes.

In parallel, South Glos will run a consultation on the Local Green Spaces, with responses going to the council not the Inspector. The council will need more evidence of the special importance of a piece of land to the local community before it can be designated.

We will let you know how to respond to both these consultations at the time.

Westerleigh Parish Council votes against new homes

Tonight Westerleigh Parish Council voted unanimously to say no to the principle of 20 new homes at Westerleigh village.

The proposal would have led to the village settlement boundary being extended and the chosen site plus part of the existing village removed from the Green Belt. Parish Councillors heard from a succession of residents opposed to new housing. Reasons given included concerns about increased traffic, pressure on the sewage system, the threat to wildlife, damage to the rural character and whether it would open the floodgates to further development. Residents did not feel that 20 new homes would support the shop or other facilities and expressed scepticism that they would attract younger people to live in the village.

Agents spoke for the landowners of the two sites that South Glos had suggested might be suitable for development. They were the only voices raised in support.

The Chair proposed the no vote on the basis that there was no clear consensus that development would sustain the viability of the village, that the infrastructure would not support it and there was no evidence young people would be willing to move to the village.

South Glos Council will now retain the current settlement boundary and Green Belt designation for Westerleigh village in the PSP Plan.

Westerleigh new housing - Parish Council decision on Monday

Westerleigh Parish Council is being asked to decide at its meeting on Monday (7.15pm, 2 February, Westerleigh village hall) whether it still believes there is a need for 20 additional homes at Westerleigh village.

If they say no, South Glos Council will keep the existing settlement boundary and Green Belt designation for Westerleigh village in its Policies, Sites and Places (PSP) Plan. If they say yes, they are asked to make comments on further issues, such as their preferred sites. South Glos would then undertake further technical work to allocate a site. In the PSP Plan it would include a planning policy identifying where the settlement boundary would be changed and Green Belt removed to allow the development and what would be required to make it acceptable.

Officers are working to make all the responses to the consultation available from their PSP Plan page. A number of people raised concerns that the questionnaire did not make it clear people could object to the principle of development, officers have published a response here.

Westerleigh housing proposals - next steps

With the consultation on the proposals for up to 20 new homes in Westerleigh village now closed, earlier this week Claire Young met council officials to clarify the next steps.

There was a big response from Westerleigh residents. The planners have collated all the comments and forwarded them to Westerleigh Parish Council. This gives the councillors a chance to consider everyone's views before they make their decision on whether or not to ask South Glos to allocate land for new homes at Westerleigh in their Policies, Sites and Places plan.

The Parish Council will be making that decision at their meeting at 7.15pm on Monday 2nd February in Westerleigh Village Hall. Parishioners are as always welcome to attend and will have an opportunity to speak.

South Glos Council will then decide in March what should go into the plan.

Time running out to have your say on Westerleigh village housing proposals

You only have until Tuesday 13th January to tell South Gloucestershire Council what you think about proposals for up to 20 new homes in Westerleigh village.

Following the summer consultation, Westerleigh Parish Council asked South Glos planners to assess possible locations for new homes and consult on the results. At the well-attended drop-in on 1st December the planners revealed that their initial analysis ruled out all except two sites. They were the land behind Burma House/Bella Vista and Jorrock’s Yard, the old Eurotaxis site. The planners explained that under current national policy allocating either of these for development would mean taking that site and some of the village out of the Green Belt.

On Monday a group of residents attended Westerleigh Parish Council to ask questions about the proposals and the process that led to them. The Chair of the Parish Council asked people to send the Parish Clerk copies of their South Glos consultation responses so that the Parish Council could be sure they had everyone’s views.

Local residents requested from South Glos a summary of planning applications at the two sites, which can be read here.

The Parish Council will decide at their meeting at 7.15pm on Monday 2nd February in Westerleigh Village Hall whether to ask South Glos to allocate land for new homes in their Policies, Sites and Places plan. Parishioners are as always welcome to attend. South Glos Council will then decide in March what should go into the plan.

There is currently no pressure for new housing in the rural villages - the thousands of new homes required in the Core Strategy are due to be delivered by extending existing urban areas and towns, like Yate and Emerson’s Green. This consultation is about whether you think Westerleigh needs some extra houses and whether either of the sites is suitable. It’s your chance to shape the future of the village.

ACT NOW!

1. Tell South Glos what you think by Tuesday 13th January
   
   • Go to www.southglos.gov.uk/policiessitesandplaces and click on the Westerleigh link to see the consultation information and response form. Return the completed form by hand to the Badminton Road council offices, by email to planningLDF@southglos.gov.uk or by post to Strategic Planning Policy & Strategic Advice Team, South Gloucestershire Council, Department for Environment & Community Services, PO Box 299, Civic Centre High Street, Kingswood, Bristol BS15 0DS.  
   • If you can't access the form or would prefer not to use it, you can just send a letter or email instead, but it’s important to say why you are for or against what is proposed.
   • There is a petition form against the proposals in the village shop and copies of the response form if you want to make more detailed comments.
2. Tell the Parish Council what you think
   Email westerleighpc@btinternet.com or write to 32 The Street, Didmarton, Glos, GL9 1DS.
3. Tell Claire what you think.

Westerleigh Parish Council to consider new homes questions

At their meeting starting at 7.15pm on Monday 5th January in the Manor Hall, Coalpit Heath, Westerleigh Parish Council will be considering questions posed by residents of Westerleigh about the proposals for up to 20 new homes in the village. You can find the agenda on the Parish Council's website.

It is extremely important that as many Westerleigh residents as possible respond to the consultation being run by South Gloucestershire Council on two possible sites for building up to 20 new homes. Links to information about the proposals and a response form can be found at www.southglos.gov.uk/policiessitesandplaces. Comments must be submitted to the Council by Tuesday 13 January at the very latest.

Claire has created a page giving more background information for those interested in how we got here and what the next steps are.

All Westerleigh housing documents now online

The technical issues that affected the South Glos website last week have been sorted and you can now view all the information from the exhibition on the options for up to 20 new homes in Westerleigh.

As we explained on Friday, the council has agreed to extend the deadline for comments because of this delay. So now you have until 13th January 2015 to respond - even if some of the documents still say 9th January.

It's very important that whether you support housing on one of the two sites, both or neither, that you respond to the consultation to let the council know your views. Please let Claire know what you think too.

Westerleigh housing options consultation documents now online

The information from last week's well-attended exhibition on the options for up to 20 new homes in Westerleigh was due to be made available on South Glos Council's website this week.

Unfortunately this has been delayed due to technical issues with the website. The council has therefore agreed to a request from Claire Young and the Parish Council for that deadline to be extended from 9th January until 13th January. The consultation form can be accessed here.

It's important that whether you support housing on one of the two sites, both or neither, that you respond to the consultation to let the council know your views. Please let Claire know what you think too.

Have your say on up to 20 new homes in Westerleigh Village

A public consultation event on possible sites for up to 20 New Homes at Westerleigh village is being held on Monday 1st December 2014, from 4pm to 7 pm, at Westerleigh Village Hall. 

The Parish Council has been working with South Gloucestershire Council to look at the need for a small amount of new housing development at Westerleigh village. This could help to meet local housing needs e.g. for younger people and support existing facilities and services such as the village shop. Any new homes would be allocated in the new planning document, the Policies, Sites and Places Plan (PSP Plan), being prepared by South Gloucestershire Council.

The possibility of a small number of new homes being built in the village was considered at a public consultation event in the village hall this summer, which formed part of the wider consultation on the PSP Plan. The Parish Council has subsequently resolved to ask SGC to undertake an assessment of possible sites for up to 20 new homes at Westerleigh village.

A public exhibition will be held on Monday 1st December 2014, from 4pm to 7 pm, at the Village Hall.

This public event will provide the opportunity for local people to learn more about the possible new housing sites – their advantages and disadvantages. A copy of the exhibition material and the response form will be provided on the Policies,Sites & Places webpage from 8th December 2014 and comments can be made until 9th January 2015.

This is your opportunity to have your say about the future of Westerleigh village.