Local Planning History

The abandoned Joint Spatial Plan

The land east of Coalpit Heath was proposed for large-scale housing development in the draft Joint Spatial Plan published in November 2017.

This long since abandoned plan was produced by the West of England Combined Authority and supported by its constituent councils, including the former Conservative administration at South Gloucestershire Council.

In the discredited plan, it was proposed that the land east of Coalpit Heath would deliver a new neighbourhood of up to 1,800 new homes in our Green Belt.

At the time, many transport infrastructure improvements were also proposed to support the new housing, such as a Metrobus extension to Yate and Chipping Sodbury; a Winterbourne and Frampton Cotterell bypass; and Junction 18a off the M4. None of these changes are any longer being taken forward.

The draft Joint Spatial Plan was examined by the Planning Inspectorate at a public enquiry in 2019. Members of your Focus Team spoke against the plan at the enquiry alongside villagers from the VALID group (Villagers Against Local Intended Development) which had formed to research and coordinate local objection to the plan.

Following the enquiry the Inspectors had concerns about fundamental aspects of the plan and recommended that it should be withdrawn from examination, finding that the selected strategic development locations (including Coalpit Heath) had not been considered against viable alternatives.

Claire and Tristan spoke against the JSP at the public enquiry in Bath

Developers will argue that the sites east of Coalpit Heath remain viable because they were once included in this plan. But, commenting on Bloor Homes' Roundways application, the South Glos Planning Policy Team state:

"The JSP Examination was halted in July 2019 with the Plan being recommended for withdrawal by the Government’s Planning Inspectorate. It was subsequently formally withdrawn in February 2020. Accordingly, no weight and status can be given to the JSP or the proposals within it”.

Any existing proposals for large-scale development east of Coalpit Heath fell away with the abandoned plan.

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