Green Belt

As an organisation we believe that the permanence of the Green Belt is vitally important and we would be loathed to see any loss of Green Belt. Whilst we accept that the district council shares this view, we are gravely concerned that South Gloucestershire may be forced to make urban extensions into the Green Belt in order to accommodate the high housing numbers required by the South West Regional Assembly.We have urged South Gloucestershire Council to do their utmost to ensure that brown field sites are developed before green field areas and that Green Belt boundaries will only be moved in exceptional circumstances. We have also supported proposed extensions to the Green Belt north of Thornbury and Yate.

We welcomed the consultation on the South Gloucestershire Strategic Green Belt Assessment, which confirmed the importance of the Green Belt in South Gloucestershire and showed that the purposes and objectives of the Green Belt are being fulfilled in the majority of respects.

We also welcomed South Gloucestershire Council’s Supplementary Planning Document “Development in the Green Belt” which can be viewed on the Council’s website: www.southglos.gov.uk

Visit The Green Belt (www.cpre.org.uk/campaigns/planning/green-belts) for more information from CPRE on Green Belts.

CPRE have produced a survey in three areas of the UK, including Bristol and Bath, to find out what people think about the Green Belt, with the aim of influencing a current Government investigation into the future use of Green Belts and other countryside. Results of the survey will be available soon. To find out more follow the link at:

www.sustainweb.org/localactiononfood/greenbeltsurvey

Visit www.saveourgreenspaces.org for a link to the local action groups which are also campaigning for the protection of the Green Belt in our area.