THE number of new homes to be built in the Keynsham and Saltford areas in the coming years may rise significantly under reforms to the planning rules.
The new Labour Government has announced what it calls “radical” changes to how many new homes it thinks each local authority should be required to find land for.
Under previous rules, the housing target for Bath & North East Somerset was 717 new homes a year – a total of 14,340 over the 20-year period of its proposed Local Plan (2022-2042).
But Labour’s new target for the district is more than double that figure at 1,466 a year – a total of 29,320 new homes.
The detailed effect on the Bath Local Plan – a draft of which was originally expected in January 2025 – are unclear, but the implication for areas like Keynsham and Saltford could be massive.
Councillor Duncan Hounsell – who is among who have pledged to fight to protect Saltford’s green belt from the threat of new homes being built – told the Voice: “It was already challenging for B&NES planners to find strategic sites for housing under the previous system.
“The proposed doubling of the housing target for B&NES by the new Labour government makes this task even more challenging.”
The revelation of new targets for local authorities follows an announcement in the House of Commons by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner on July 30 over changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which underpins the planning system, subject to eight weeks of consultation.
The reforms change the method used to calculate how many homes should be built in each area across the country, with more houses added to existing targets depending on how much higher property prices are than earnings.
Some existing protected green-belt land deemed to be low quality, such as disused petrol stations and car parks, will also be redesignated “grey belt” where development would be made much easier to approve.
B&NES councillors have yet to debate the impact of the government’s ambitions, with the council so far issuing a statement to ‘stakeholders’.
It says: “As you are aware, Bath and North East Somerset Council are in the process of preparing a Local Plan to meet the needs of the district up to 2042.
“The current Local Development Scheme sets out the programme for the Local Plan, which includes consultation on the Draft Plan at the beginning of 2025, and submission of the Draft Plan to the Planning Inspectorate in June 2025.
“The government has now published reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework for consultation, including revised standard method housing figures, which, if adopted, may have a significant impact on the Local Plan.
“The council are carefully considering the impact of the draft reforms on the current Local Plan programme and will provide a further update in due course.”
But the proposed reforms have already prompted fierce opposition in neighbouring South Gloucestershire, which faces a 30 per cent rise in the number of new homes.
Opposition Conservative councillors have branded the plans as an “attack” on the district’s countryside and promised to fight them.
Group leader Cllr Sam Bromiley said: ““We stand shoulder to shoulder with residents who do not want to see their green belt destroyed by a Labour government that is unwilling to listen to their understandable concerns.”
The reforms have also been blasted by planning campaign group TRAPP’D (Thornbury Residents Against Poorly Planned Development) as a “potential disaster” for the district.
In its newsletter, it said the reforms were a “big boost for speculative applications” and could force South Gloucestershire to take other area’s shortfalls, including the massive increase being imposed on B&NES.
Under the Local Plan proposals before the government’s announcement, potential sites identified for new homes included north Keynsham (1,500 homes), Hicks Gates (850), south-east Keynsham (350), west Keynsham (100-300), east of Avon Mill Lane (160) and central Keynsham (40-100).
They also include South Saltford (800 homes) and west Saltford (500 homes).
What the effect on these figures will eventually be remains to be seen.
Voice reporter, with additional reporting by Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Services
Pictured, members of the Pictured, members of the Burnett and Corston Protection Alliance are among those protesting at the threat to the green belt from house-building
Green-belt fears as housing target doubles
