Government thinks again on housing?

The Government has announced that it will be looking again at plans to build more than 32,000 new homes in South Gloucestershire, many of them in the Green Belt.

The most recent draft of the 'Regional Spatial Strategy' (RSS) for the South West proposed that over 32,000 houses should be built in South Gloucestershire by 2026, more than 10,000 more than local people believe is needed to meet local need. Following a legal challenge to a similar document for the East of England, the Government has now announced that it will be setting up a new 'sustainability appraisal' for the South West to think again about whether the approach to identifying housing sites is the best way forward. This review is expected to be completed in the New Year.

Local MP and countryside campaigner Steve Webb MP said, "At long last, the Government has agreed to look again at whether the planned location for all these houses is really sustainable. We have been arguing for years that these plans risk destroying the valuable countryside which we all value so much. It is a shame that it took legal action for the Government to finally start listening. It is therefore vital that this further review is not simply a whitewash but does look properly at the way these tens of thousands of houses could have a devastating effect on the qualify of life in our area".

Decision on new homes delayed

Your Focus team has long campaigned against Government plans for thousands of new homes to be built in South Gloucestershire. We had expected a final decision on the numbers from the Secretary of State by the end of June. Now though it has been delayed indefinitely due a legal challenge to a similar plan elsewhere in the country. Until the implications of that can be considered, no new timetable can be set for the decision. We will keep you posted.

32,800 homes - time running out to have your say

The deadline for comments on plans to build 32,800 new homes in South Gloucestershire over the next 20 years is 5pm on Friday. You can make your comments online or you can download a response form to complete and email or post back to the Government Office of the South West.

Green Belt protection "rigid and old-fashioned", says minister

During the House of Commons debate yesterday on the massive housing developments proposed for South Gloucestershire, Communities Minister Iain Wright described the principle that brown field (previously used) land should be built on before green belt as "rigid and old-fashioned", and said that what was needed was flexibility.

Speaking to the BBC outside Downing Street, Steve Webb MP said:

“Every MP who was at the debate was shocked by what the Minister said. He said that the green belt was fair game.

“We cannot tell developers to go to the brown field and developed areas first. They can go to the prime sites on day one. It was a disgrace.”

The debate was arranged by Steve Webb after the government raised the number of proposed houses by 50% despite already overburdened roads, inadequate bus services and minimal train services.

Steve describes the debate here. You can read the debate in full or watch it (for the next 28 days).

Following the debate Steve delivered a protest petition to Downing Street.

Whether you signed the petition or not, it's still important to put in your comments to the government. The more voices they hear, the more likely they are to tone down their plans. You only have until 24 October. If you would like to object to the Government's proposals on housing, but don't know what to say, you can click here to download some suggestions: Word version
(Note - we've had occasional problems with this link - if it doesn't work for you, please email paul.hulbert@gmail.com for a copy)

Then:

Get the blank Government form online here
- you can fill it in electronically or fill in a paper copy

Use our 'specimen' as a guide – but put it in your own words, because people take more notice of personalised objections

Send completed forms to the email or postal addresses on the form to reach the Government Office for the South West not later than 5.00pm on Friday 24th October

This is important. Please do it NOW.

32,800 new homes - have your say

Secretary of State, Hazel Blears, is proposing that there should be 32,800 new homes built in South Gloucestershire by 2026, most of them in the Green Belt, land that is supposed to stop our villages being swamped by development.

We need more affordable homes, but this figure is unrealistic. If local targets are not met, which is likely with the current downturn in the housing market, it's been made clear that Councils will find it difficult to stop houses being built on land not earmarked for development.

They're planning to shut our major hospital, Frenchay. They're planning to cut the number of hospital beds. The roads are beginning to seize up already. And the Government has deleted public transport proposals like the Yate rail turnback from their consultation (this is vital to get more trains to stop at Yate Station)

What you can do:

(1) Tell the Government what you think by responding to their consultation:
The Government has not made this easy! However, a big response is ESSENTIAL. If you want to reply by post you can obtain a response form by ringing 0117 900 1743.

Replies must be sent to: Regional Planning Team, Government
Office for the South West, 2 Rivergate, Temple Quay, BRISTOL, BS1 6ED

The easiest way to respond is by going to http://tinyurl.com/6z6pdz. Please use the form to say what 32,800 houses in South Glos would mean for your local area, in terms of impact on:

Green Belt
Traffic and transport
Local services

Copies of the proposal documents are available on-line
or at libraries or by appointment at GOSW by ringing 0117 900 1743.

The deadline is 5pm on Friday 24 October.

(2) Sign our petition (by 3 Oct) so that Steve Webb can present the petition in the special debate in Parliament - online at http://www.stevewebb.org.uk or by filling in the form on the special Focus leaflet that's being delivered at the moment. Watch for it dropping on your doormat!

Lib Dems call for legal challenge to housing numbers

At Wednesday's Council meeting, the Lib Dems tabled an amendment to a Council motion on housing numbers, demanding that the Council investigate taking legal action if the Secretary of State doesn’t reduce the housing numbers destined for South Gloucestershire.

The number of homes that would have to be built each year is highly unrealistic but if the targets are not met there is a real danger that developers will be able to win appeals to build on land not earmarked by the Council for development.

Another concern is that the minister's recommendations would not ensure that the infrastructure needed to support the new homes would be built first. The Lib Dems succeed in gaining three party support for their motion demanding funding from Government to give first class transport for South Gloucestershire residents.

New housing bombshell - Secretary of State recommends an extra 2000 new homes

Local people horrified at a Government panel's recommendation that 30,800 new homes should be built in South Gloucestershire by 2026 will be shocked to hear that the Secretary of State has now recommended increasing that number by 2000.

Lib Dem Leader and councillor for Yate Central Ruth Davis explains, “I am horrified that the Minister has ignored the huge outcry from the public against the proposed housing within South Gloucestershire. We have already said that an increase of 23,500homes would be difficult to deal with properly if not impossible. In reply the Government panel suggested 30,800. Now instead of reducing that number to a manageable and sustainable level of growth the Secretary of State Hazel Blears MP has put it up further. As far as we’re concerned she’s living in the house of commons fantasy land.”

“Our worst fears have been founded with the figure going up even further. As there will now be a 12 week public consultation period on these proposals I urge the public to put their views forward in writing as it appears the Minister is just not listening.”

“We need time now to analyse these new figures in detail as whilst it appears the number for Yate are reduced to 3000 additional houses, this means 4000 more houses for the rest of South Gloucestershire. Being swamped with a flood of new properties was not what Yate residents wanted but they certainly wouldn’t have wished 4000 upon their neighbours in the rest of South Gloucestershire.”

The Lib Dem planning spokesman Cllr Pat Hockey said, "The Government needs to think again about the totally unrealistic number of new homes being proposed for South Gloucestershire. It is ridiculous that the Minister has not taken into account that development appears to have ceased on a number of major sites in South Gloucestershire due to the downturn in the housing market. This makes these housing targets unrealistic, unachievable and pure fantasy figures."

A map showing the previous housing figures

Housing bombshell - have your say

As you may have read in the last Focus, the Minister is currently considering recommendations for an extra 30,800 homes in South Gloucestershire. At the same time, South Gloucestershire Council has to consult on where the new housing should go. If you care about how much Yate and our villages should grow over the next 20 years you need to get involved NOW!

Yesterday South Gloucesterhire Council officially launched its "Core Strategy Issues and Options" consultation. This runs for only 6 weeks, which means your comments have to be in by June 13th. You can read the document on line at www.southglos.gov.uk/corestrategy. Alternatively printed copies should be at the One Stop Shops in Yate, Thornbury and Kingswood, at all South Gloucestershire libraries, including the mobile and at the Brockeridge Centre.

You can have your say either on-line, by following the link from the Core Strategy page, or by using the Questionnaire Response Booklet. These can be obtained by phoning 01454 863469 or emailing planningldf@southglos.gov.uk . Alternatively, you can download the 47 page response booklet to print yourself from the consultation website by clicking "Respond to Consultation" and then "Respond by Post".

Don’t be put off by the length of the Core Strategy document! You may be interested in some or all of it. The section that deals with Yate/Chipping Sodbury starts
on page 99 and the section that deals with our villages, headed Rural Settlements, on page 117.

At this stage no villages are mentioned. There are 3 alternative Options put forward to get views on the best way to decide where development should be allowed. Questions 79-82 in the Response Booklet cover these. It is important to let the Planning Team know your view as they will use the responses they get as a basis for the next stage of consultation – the Preferred Options.

If you need help with this or have difficulty accessing the document, please contact one of your FOCUS TEAM (see the link on the right).



Steve Webb at a packed public meeting to discuss the proposals for 5000 new homes in Yate

5000 new houses - your chance to do something about it

As you may have read in Focus, the South West Regional Assembly is recommending 5000 new houses for Yate. This is equivalent to an extra two or three Chipping Sodburys. At the moment there is no suggestion that the new development should spread out along the Frome Valley, but it is none the less worrying and has been decided without proper local consultation.

Steve Webb and Yate councillors are forming an Action Group. They are holding a PUBLIC MEETING at 7.30pm on Friday 29 February at Brimsham Green School.

The Gazette previews the meeting here

You can see the Panel's report here or here.