New details have been revealed for plans to build more than 500 new homes in south east Bristol. Bellway Homes is hoping to develop a countryside site in Brislington and is in the early stages of getting permission from Bristol City Council for the plans.
They would see 555 new homes built on greenfield land off the A4 Bath Road next to the Brislington park and ride. Between 170 to 220 of the new homes would be classed as “affordable”, and the nearby allotments would be kept.
The 38-acre site is owned by Bellway Strategic Land, part of major house builder Bellway Homes. The council has included the site in its draft Local Plan document, which sets out where huge new developments in the city should be built over the next few years.
Read more: Battle begins for the future of housing plan on Brislington Meadows
Fergus Thomas, strategic land director for Bellway’s central region, said: “Bristol’s housing shortage is creating a crisis of affordability, with 18,000 people currently on the city’s housing waiting list. That number is growing rapidly.
“Our plans are at an early stage and we will work with the community as we progress them. However, we have already established some key principles, such as creating new wildlife habitats and aligning with the West of England combined authority’s plans to improve the A4 corridor into Bristol.
“The identification of this site in the Local Plan is one of the first steps. Next, we will work with local people to create plans that are appropriate for the area and that the people of Brislington can get behind and be proud of.”
Bellway has asked the council for details about carrying out an environmental impact assessment. No formal planning application has been made yet. But local councillors are warning the development would mean the loss of important countryside, risking “continuous urban sprawl” in between Bristol and Keynsham.
Liberal Democrat councillor Andrew Varney, who represents Brislington West, said: “We completely support brownfield redevelopment, but believe building on our precious green belt is unacceptable. Developers are already lining up to concrete over these green fields that separate Bristol from Keynsham.
“If we’re not careful, we run the risk of continuous urban sprawl from Bristol to Keynsham. It’s pretty obvious that developers will try to build on our greenfield sites first as they are less problematic and less expensive than brownfield sites. We need to find a way to make sure that our brownfield sites are developed first, and the best way to do this is to remove all greenfield sites from the Local Plan.”
