Housing and the Regional Spatial Strategy

The documents relating to the RSS for the South West are available online by clicking here

The RSS is a 20 year plan, 2006-2026, and once approved by Government it will replace the statutory Regional Planning Guidance for the South West. The draft RSS was published for public consultation in 2006 and responses were submitted to an independent Examination in Public (EiP) Panel in 2007. Read about South Gloucestershire CPRE’s response to the draft RSS.

The Panel’s report on the EiP was submitted in January 2008 to the Secretary of State for Communities, and her proposed changes to the RSS were published in July 2008 and were open for public consultation until October 2008.

The Secretary of State’s proposals have major implications for the whole of the South West Region and for South Gloucestershire in partcular, where large scale housing developments are proposed, notably on greenfield sites and in parts of the Green Belt.

The Draft RSS included proposals for 23,000 additional houses in South Gloucestershire. The Secretary of State has increased this figure to 32,800, including 3,000 north of Yate, 17,500 within the existing urban area of Bristol and a further 10,000 in 2 urban extensions on the Green Belt along the M32 and south of the M4.

We are extremely concerned about the proposals and our comments about the threat to South Gloucestershire have been included in the CPRE South West Response to the latest consultation on the Strategy .
See the Avonside CPRE home page to read more details about the Strategy and how it affects our area and for a link to the text of the complete CPRE South West response to the consultation.
To read the section of this Response relating to housing plans for South Gloucestershire read this document:
Regional CPRE Proposed C response Oct 08 - Section 4(2)HMAs

South Gloucestershire CPRE’s response to the original draft version of the Regional Spatial Strategy

We strongly opposed the overall level of growth proposed. We questioned the need for 23,000 additional houses in South Gloucestershire during the period up to 2026. We pointed out that some of our newer communities (such as Bradley Stoke) already have social infrastructure deficits (congested roads; shortage of local school places; lack of shopping facilities; community facilities etc) and if the rate of growth per annum is doubled it is hard to see how the accompanying infrastructure will keep pace and this will bring economic and social problems. We noted that despite the proposed level of growth, the only acute hospital in South Gloucestershire (Frenchay Hospital) is to be closed and a new hospital built in Bristol.

In particular, S Glos CPRE had serious concerns about the ability to develop 8000 houses in the area of Emersons Green and Harry Stoke without encroaching on the Green Belt. The Green Belt south of the M4 plays an important role in separating communities and we are very concerned that the rural character and distinctiveness of villages such as Pucklechurch will be damaged if urban extensions are allowed to extend into the Green Belt.

As the majority of additional housing is proposed to be accommodated south of the M4 we believe that it is vital to protect the existing communities and to avoid coalescence – the character of our historic villages must be preserved and they must remain as distinct settlements.