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Bristol Local Plan Review

Consultation on the Bristol Local Plan review has now started and will run until 13 April 2018.

This is in advance of further consultation planned for the end of 2018 (October to December) and a Publication version of the new Local Plan in March 2019. The City Council’s target is to adopt the plan in July 2020.

The new Local Plan will set out how Bristol will develop over the next twenty years, covering the plan period 2016 to 2036 (to align with the West of England Joint Spatial Plan, which is also currently
under preparation). Given Bristol’s ambitions for economic growth and the delivery of housing, including affordable housing, there are some encouraging things to digest and discuss. Some main headlines are:

  • Promoting urban living across the city, building more densely and higher to make efficient use of land through the creation of compact, characterful urban areas, relying on sustainable transport. Overall the proposals suggest accommodating at least 33,500 new homes with the following broad distribution:

Bristol housing figures

  • A revised strategy for the City Centre (Proposal CDS1) will give support for tall buildings “in the right setting and of the
    right design”;
     
  • Bristol Temple Quarter which is being developed for a wide range of uses in a new city quarter will be extended into the St Philip’s Marsh riverfront and adjoining areas as part of an extended Enterprise Zone, with St Philip’s Marsh designated as an area of redevelopment and change, with potential for mixed use development, but ensuring that the total number of jobs in the area will be increased (Proposals CDS2 and CDS3);
     
  • Suggested enhanced gateway and new city quarter at the Western Harbour (Proposal CDS4) through the replacement of the present network of aging and outdated roads and bridges and their replacement with a simpler new system to unlock additional development potential around Cumberland Basin;
     
  • Release of the contingency site at Bath Road, Brislington (Proposal CDS9) for a new neighbourhood of at least 750 new homes (including P+R relocation to Hicks Gate) through the amendment of the Green Belt boundary to facilitate this proposal;
     
  • Revised Green Belt boundary at South West Bristol, inside the new MetroBus route (Proposal CDS10) with some potential development sites identified, and also important open areas safeguarded;
     
  • Potential for around 1,200 new homes at Lockleaze as a focus for urban living (Proposal CDS11) to continue significant regeneration in the area and to take advantage of the accessibility of the area by public transport and cycling routes;
     
  • Target the delivery of 35% affordable housing on all development sites of 5 or more dwellings (Proposal ULH2);
     
  • Expectation that any increase in student numbers at the universities will be matched by the provision of sufficient appropriately located purpose-built student accommodation, and suggested focused locations for new specialist student accommodation, within the existing University of Bristol precinct, Clifton campus and Stoke Bishop, at the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus and in other locations identified and supported by local communities, including through Neighbourhood Development Plans (Proposal ULH6);
     
  • Proposed allocation of additional land at Avonmouth (Proposal EC1) to further support this regionally important location for business;
     
  • Encourage New Work Space (Proposal EC3) to support start-ups, micro businesses and space for social enterprises, with proposals for redevelopment of former industrial or distribution land to include provision for New Work Space as part of mixed use developments;
     
  • New development proposals to demonstrate how they will provide access to at least superfast broadband (30Mbps+) and full fibre connections where available (Proposal EC4);
     
  • New development to contribute to delivering the Council’s Air Quality Action Plan, via a dedicated new policy for air quality, strengthening current requirements to mitigate (through financial contributions) the air quality impact of the additional transport emissions that it will generate (Proposal HW1);
     
  • Meeting more of development’s energy needs sustainably (Proposal RES1) with a potential requirement to meet 100% of total CO2 emissions, rather than the current target of 20% (subject to viability), to include potential for off-site financial contributions (allowable solutions).

For further information please contact Jeff Richards, Andrew Ross or Helen Tilton.

21 February 2018

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