The South Glos Post

Councillors approved a revised version of South Gloucestershire’s Core Strategy at a lengthy meeting of Full Council yesterday evening (Wednesday 14th December).

The document sets out the overarching development vision for the district until 2026 and will help the council to plan for and deliver the new homes, jobs and services that will be needed in the future.

The strategy will also help discourage speculative unplanned development in inappropriate locations by providing a clear framework for longer-term sustainable development in the district.

Welcoming the decision, South Gloucestershire Council Executive Member for Planning, Transportation and Strategic Environment Brian Allinson said:

“The Core Strategy is a vital blueprint for the future of South Gloucestershire and we should not underestimate the significant benefits that having it in place will bring to the district.”

“As well as helping us to plan properly the future, the strategy will make sure that new development meets our community’s needs, and occurs in the right place and at the right time.”

“I am very grateful to everyone who has contributed to the development of the strategy by sharing their views and taking part in the debate as the document has been developed.”

More: Revised strategy accepts closure of Filton Airfield »

Source: South Gloucestershire Council

The row over Filton Airfield is distracting from the fight to save the local Green Belt, according to local Conservative campaigners.

At a council meeting on Wednesday 14th December, planning officers at South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) are asking councillors to submit to a planning inspector a revised future development blueprint – its Core Strategy – that includes the re-development of Filton Airfield, which local aerospace companies have said could strengthen the industry by making more aerospace land available for expanding firms.

The Core Strategy still includes the protection of the Green Belt stretching from Pilning through to Frampton Cotterell and down the east of Kingswood – areas that had been under threat from the previous government’s Regional Spatial Strategy.

And the airfield’s redevelopment would strengthen that protection even more.

But if local authorities do not have an up-to-date future development plan that tells developers which areas they can develop, then they can put forward areas of their choosing, including the Green Belt.

This has been tried by developers in Longwell Green and Oldland Common and another developer is promoting over two thousand homes on Green Belt land in Warmley.

More: Developers must be kept at bay, says Councillor »

Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council