Bath and North East Somerset

Welcome to the Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) section of the CPRE website. We are one of 4 Districts of the Avonside Branch of B&NES and cover the local government B&NES area.

The B&NES area

The B&NES area is an important one in the context of rural England, and mirrors many of the challenges faced nationally in balancing economic growth with protecting what is special about our countryside. In our area we have the south-westernmost area of Greenbelt land in the country as well as parts of 2 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (the Cotswolds and Mendips). We are indeed privileged and we are keen to preserve this heritage.

If you are already a member and would like to take a more active role in the local District then we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact us. If you feel that you would like to support CPRE by becoming a member then you will find details on the CPRE website

The aim of our website is to give you an insight into the various matters that are potentially affecting our locality and to refer to other websites where these are of particular relevance to our activity.

The Future of Bath & North East Somerset – Bad News for the Countryside

This is a crucial time for our input into planning the future of the Bath and North East Somerset area.

We still await publication of the final version of the Regional Spatial Strategy, which has been delayed, but the proposed numbers for housing development in BANES are a staggering 8,000 in Bath and a Bath urban extension, including 2,000 in the Green Belt, a 3,000 dwelling urban extension to Keynsham, 8,000 in the Green Belt to the south and east of Bristol and 2,300 in the remainder of BANES.

We shall be monitoring progress carefully. We want to guard against villages such as Queen Charlton being swallowed up by development and to ensure that the separation between Bristol, Keynsham and Bath is maintained. We also want to ensure that any development is indeed sustainable and does not just add to the current burden of commuting in private cars.

The Local Development Framework and Core Strategy

We have now responded to the Core Strategy document. Download our response (PDF document). The Core Strategy can be viewed on the B&NES website:
www.bathnes.gov.uk/corestrategy.

Other Issues and Campaigns

• B&NES response to the Regional Spatial Strategy
• Flooding
• Waste
• Western Riverside Development, Bath
• Fullers Earth site »
• Transport, including Park and Ride sites
• Local foods / Countryside Stewardship
• Expansion of Bristol International Airport
  

Active members WANTED!

One thing that is clear from the new Local Development Framework process is that we need help if we are to keep on top of reviewing and commenting on the many and varied documents that will be published over the next few years. If you are interested in plans for your local area and are would be able to spare a few hours here and there reviewing published documents and giving us your comments, we would love to hear from you.

Your local committee is populated solely by volunteers who share a passion for protecting our countryside and a willingness to give up some of their free time, so if you would like to join us please contact us by emailing info@cpreavonside.org.uk