South Gloucestershire could be forced to take 9,000 more homes over the next two decades than the Government thinks it should, its council leader fears. Conservative Cllr Toby Savage revealed at a council meeting that an initial version of the region’s housing blueprint indicated 37,000 homes would be earmarked in the district – almost a third more than the 28,000 that Whitehall calculations suggest are necesasry, he said.
Cllr Savage told the council’s cabinet: “I cannot in all good conscience agree to land our communities with unsustainable levels of new growth over the next 20 years.” He criticised Labour metro mayor Dan Norris, who as head of the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) is required to publish the spatial development strategy (SDS), a strategic vision setting out overall numbers and broad distribution of housing, jobs, infrastructure and growth.
Cllr Savage said Mr Norris was “resistant” to meetings over the SDS and, as a result, the document and 12-week public consultation had been delayed, while cabinet members suggested this may have also been caused by a “toxic working environment” at Weca that had led to an “exodus” of top officers. Asked to respond, the metro mayor said afterwards it was the Government who had set the housing numbers and was demanding at least 105,000 new homes in the West of England over the next two decades.
