Three councils are forging ahead with their own blueprints for tens of thousands of homes and jobs over the next two decades following the collapse of the regional masterplan. South Gloucestershire Council has decided to join Bath & North East Somerset and Bristol city councils in pressing on with their Local Plans after metro mayor Dan Norris told the Government in May that agreement on a West of England spatial development strategy (SDS) spanning the three areas was not possible.
The failure of the SDS came amid a huge row over who was to blame and whether it was even possible to abandon it. Labour’s Mr Norris – who heads the West of England Combined Authority (Weca), which comprises the three councils – accused South Gloucestershire Council leader Conservative Cllr Toby Savage of “gambling with the greenbelt” having “walked out” of talks.
Cllr Savage claimed the metro mayor had failed to include him in the first place and had taken a “mushroom farming approach” to the housing strategy by working in secrecy while trying to impose 37,000 homes on the district. The council leader said this was almost 10,000 more than government calculations suggested were needed in South Gloucestershire.
Read more: Bristol region housing masterplan collapses amid huge row - what it means for region's future
Cllr Savage and cabinet member for regeneration, environment and strategic infrastructure Tory Cllr Steve Reade previously challenged Mr Norris’s right to scrap the SDS process, saying it was required as part of the Weca Devolution Order which legally underpins the combined authority. But they have now decided to continue on with their council’s own Local Plan.
Cllr Reade said: “I am delighted that we are taking strides with our new Local Plan, which will be a comprehensive holistic approach towards supporting our new and existing communities in the years ahead so that South Gloucestershire remains a place that people are proud to live and work. While it is disappointing that we are not progressing with a regional approach towards the delivery of a new plan, it is reassuring to be able to have control over the process once again after being kept in the dark by the Labour Weca mayor who sought to flood South Gloucestershire with unsustainable levels of new housing, threatening our communities and our environment.
“The Weca mayor was asked repeatedly to show us the evidence behind his crackers 37,000 housing target for South Gloucestershire and then, when challenged, he stopped the entire process in a fit of pique. Under Conservatives, South Gloucestershire Council remains committed to deliver new homes and infrastructure that help our communities continue to flourish and we will continue to unashamedly champion South Gloucestershire’s needs.”
The council updated its Local Plan webpage on Monday (September 5) to say: “Following the decision of the Weca mayor to stop all work on the West of England Combined Authority Spatial Development Strategy, the Local Plans for Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire will now provide the strategic planning framework for the West of England Combined Authority area. The issue of housing need will now be addressed through individual Local Plans for each of the local councils.
“The councils will continue their longstanding history of joint working and cooperate with each other and with other key bodies on strategic, cross-boundary matters as they prepare their Local Plans. The evidence base prepared so far to inform the Spatial Development Strategy will be published on the Weca website and will be reviewed and used as appropriate to inform the councils’ Local Plans.” More information is here.
Read next:
- WECA housing masterplan not dead after all, council leader insists
- Collapsed west of England housing plan is 'lost opportunity to shape region's future'
- Row erupts amid fears South Gloucestershire could be swamped by thousands of new homes
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