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.

Policies, Sites and Places Plan - what next?

Over the last year we've been reporting regularly on the progress of South Glos Council's Policies, Sites and Places Plan. The next big step will be taken on Wednesday 18th March when South Gloucestershire Council as a whole will be voting on what should be submitted to the Planning Inspector. The meeting starts at 7pm in Kingswood Civic Centre and you are welcome to attend.

Before that, on 13th March, the Policy and Resources committee will be making its recommendation to the council. The agenda for that meeting has now been published and it includes a link to the plan.

There were a number of issues of concern to local residents in last year's consultation. Your Focus Team has been putting the views of local residents to officers as the plan progresses.

In the Ladden Frome area:

• Rangeworthy Parish Council has decided there should be 20 new homes in the village to meet local need.
• Westerleigh Parish Council decided not to go ahead with up to 20 new homes at Westerleigh village, so the plan doesn't include that proposal.
• Iron Acton Parish Council has identified that the village needs a small number of extra houses. Because these would be in the Green Belt it will be a “Rural Exception Site” and not included in this Plan.
• It's proposed that Coalpit Heath, Frampton Cotterell and Winterbourne should have separate development boundaries to reflect the fact they are separate communities. The boundary for Frampton Cotterell will be extended to take in The Meads development.
• The plan still proposes intensifying some gypsy and traveller sites (that is, adding extra pitches without extending the boundaries) and also designating all temporary sites or those restricted to particular families as permanent sites, taking the land out of the Green Belt.
• The pieces of land officers are recommending to be designated as Local Green Space hasn't been published yet. Many local people have been hoping Woodlands Farm would be one of them, but it could be affected by a recent Inspector ruling elsewhere in the country that a site of 19 hectares was too large an area to be designated.

If the council agrees that the plan should be submitted, there will then be a 6 week consultation. Any responses you make will be passed to the Planning Inspector who will decide if the plan is sound. This gives you another opportunity to make your views known if you are not happy with what South Gloucestershire Council has decided. We will let you know how you can comment 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.

Woodlands Farm refused

Objectors outside the council offices

This afternoon the Development Control (West) Committee unanimously refused the Barratt Homes' application to build on land at Woodlands Farm, Coalpit Heath.

Local councillor Claire Young said, "Thank you to all who came to the meeting today and to everyone who has turned out at the many events to show their opposition to these plans. A special thank you to Richard Merrick for leading the action group and all those members of the group who have helped spread the word and demonstrate just how strongly local people feel."

Barratt Homes now have the option to appeal against the decision. We will of course keep you informed if this happens.

Steve Webb MP with objectors at the site

Woodlands Farm - read the officer's report

You can now see the agenda for next Thursday’s committee meeting online - or you can follow this link directly to the report on Woodlands Farm. The officer is recommending refusal.

If you are planning to attend the meeting, please get there early to find parking (the Castle Street car park is the nearest, there is a pedestrian route through Stokes Close, you don't have to walk round via the road). The Gazette will be taking a photo outside the Council offices at around 2.10pm. The actual meeting starts at 2.30pm.

If transport is a problem, let us know, we've already had one offer of a lift.

Woodlands Farm will be decided on 4th July

Officers have confirmed that the Development Control (West) planning committee will determine the Woodlands Farm planning application on Thursday 4^th July. The meeting is in the council chamber at Thornbury Council Offices and starts at 2.30pm. We know for some of you that will be a difficult time of day to attend a meeting, but if you are free a big turnout would show the committee just how strongly local people feel about this application.

It’s worth getting there early so that you can find parking (there is a path through from the Castle Street car park into Stokefield Close). If you can offer a lift to someone or need a lift yourself let Claire Young know and she will try to match people up. 

Check back next week for a link to the papers for the meeting so you can read the officer’s report to the committee.

Woodlands Farm - revised plans

You may have received notification that Barratt Homes have submitted revised plans for Woodlands Farm, which are available on the South Glos website. (You need to scroll right down to the bottom of the screen to see the latest documents.) If you feel you wish to reiterate your objections, it can’t do any harm, though we are advised that they will assume that your original objections still stand unless you state otherwise.

Woodlands Farm latest

Although it is several weeks since South Gloucestershire’s planning committee visited the Woodlands Farm site, it is now possible that the planning application will be considered at the meeting on 4th July.

This is because the publication of the next report from the Planning Inspector dealing with the Core Strategy is scheduled for the end of June. This report will be very important to the decision on the Woodlands Farm planning application. Members of the public are welcome to attend this meeting and some will be able to speak by arrangement with Paul Johnson on 01454 864425.

The strong local opposition to Bloor Homes’ planning application to develop land at Engine Common in Iron Acton was a key factor in the decision to dismiss the appeal against the refusal of planning permission by South Glos Council. It will be important to show that residents in Coalpit Heath and Frampton Cotterell feel just as strongly about the Woodlands Farm proposals.

We will confirm the date of the committee meeting when we know it.

Crowd turnout for Woodlands Farm site visit

A large crowd of local people turned out this morning to object to plans to build 380 houses on land at Woodlands Farm, Coalpit Heath.

Members of the DC (West) planning committee were visiting the site to see the impact the proposed development would have on the landscape, environment, roads and the local communities. Standing by the kissing gate that gives access to the public footpath across the site, officers introduced the application before Barratt Homes' agent spoke about their plans.

Westerleigh councillor Claire Young spoke on behalf of residents, highlighting the important landscape features such as the dry valley, mature trees and Blackberry Brake. Claire spoke of residents' concerns about hundreds more cars travelling along Badminton Road and Park Lane and the importance of protecting not only the village feel of Coalpit Heath and Frampton Cotterell but also their separate identities. She also raised concerns such as the impact on wildlife, drainage, local heritage and the public right of way across the site.

Richard Merrick, organiser of the Save Woodlands Farm action group then spoke, welcoming the strong line South Gloucestershire Council took on protecting Woodlands Farm at the recent session of the Examination in Public on the Core Strategy. He said that if the council turns down the application, residents will give their full backing at any appeal.

After that the Chair, Dave Hockey, allowed a number of others to make points that hadn't already been covered. The Clerk from Frampton Cotterell Parish Council highlighted their concerns and Jen Dunford from Village Action and Walking to Health talked about the Parish Plan and the importance of the footpath for the walks she leads. Long time resident Mr Angell asked the committee to protect the land for food production.

Stella Beecher spoke about the link with author Dick King-Smith and his famous book, The Sheep Pig, which became a Hollywood blockbuster. Former Westerleigh councillor Alan Bracey asked the members to make sure they looked closely at the proposed junction on to Badminton Road. Other residents raised concerns about wildlife, road safety and keeping Kendleshire, Coalpit Heath and Frampton Cotterell as separate communities.

Dave Hockey said the committee would travel out via Park Lane, to consider the road issues and view the site from there, and then go up the Badminton Road into Coalpit Heath to see where the new junction would go. Having closed the public meeting, the members of the committee then walked along the footpath and back so that the planning officer could point out significant features and answer any questions they had.

The decision will be made at a future Development Control (West) meeting, possibly in May or June.

You can see more photos from the site visit here.