Photographs courtesy of Matthew Gilder

The Campaign to Protect Rural England exists to promote the beauty, tranquility and diversity of rural England by encouraging the sustainable use of land and other natural resources in town and country.

CPRE Avonside comprises the four districts which cover the old county of Avon.

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Policy and Campaigns for 2012

National Planning Policy

The Government’s planning reforms, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), were published in March 2012. CPRE believes that significant progress has been made towards meeting its concerns about the draft version of 2011, concerns which were voiced in a vigorous campaign against many of the original proposals. However there are still some provisions of the NPPF which we feel will either harm the countryside (and urban green spaces) or will be open to differing interpretations because of over-simplification. Click here for CPRE’s initial analysis of the NPPF

Avonside Branch joined the campaign against the original version and contacted many local MPs about our concerns. To read the text of our own response to the Government’s consultation on the draft click here. We now wait to see what impact the NPPF has on planning policies and decisions in the Avonside area.

Housing in the Avonside Area

Until the 2010 General Election there were targets for housing provision set out in the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS), a 20 year plan for the South West 2006-2026. Read what we said about the RSS and proposed housing numbers. However, the RSS was never ratified and the Government revoked RSSs nationally.

The local spatial plans, or Development Frameworks of the local authorities in the Avonside area, which were originally supposed to reflect the RSS proposals, are currently at various stages at a time when a new national and local planning system is being introduced. It is not yet clear how the new planning regime will work or how transitional arrangements will affect the Core Strategies of the local authorities. Despite improvements to the draft version of national policy, we are still concerned about the threat to greenfield land in the Avonside area.

Bristol’s Core Strategy was examined by a Planning Inspector who accepted Bristol’s proposal for housing numbers which are much lower than in the RSS but would not allow the deletion of references to possible cross-boundary urban extensions in the Green Belt as a contingency measure if target numbers cannot otherwise be met.

This Core Strategy was adopted by the Council in summer 2011.

North Somerset’s Core Strategy was judged to be sound by the Planning Inspector in March 2012 so that it is likely to be adopted in late spring. Agreed housing numbers are 14,000 rather than the 26,750 proposed in the RSS and the Core Strategy does not include a South West Bristol urban extension of 9,000 houses in the Green Belt which had been proposed.

Thus North Somerset and Bristol have successfully challenged the scale of housing growth required to meet the needs of the area.

Stop the Drop Anti Litter and Fly Tipping »

Tranquillity »

Climate Change »

Rail Transport »

Green Belt »

Local Food and Agricultural Land »

For details of campaigns we are running within the geographical area of each of our District groups, click on the link to that District.

Village of the year

Entries for the Village of the Year competition for 2012 are invited until 31st May. For further information on the format of the 2012 competition click here, and to download an entry form please use the links below…

Village of the Year regulations and Entry Form 2012 (Word document)

Village of the Year regulations and Entry Form 2012 (PDF document)

Winners of the 2011 competition have now been published. Details can be found on our Village of the Year 2011 page.

Winners of the 2010 competition can be found on our Village of the Year 2010 page

Volunteering

The Branch and District Groups are run entirely by volunteers. Please visit http://www.cpre.org.uk/support/volunteer to see the ways in which you could help us.

The Branch is currently in urgent need of a Secretary. This need not be an onerous role. For further information please email info@cpreavonside.org.uk