B&NES Placemaking Consultation

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This consultation runs until 30th January 2015 and aim to provide the following for Bath:

  • allocate sites for development for housing, employment and other uses to help meet development needs identified in the Core Strategy;
  • review and update the development management policies used in the determination of planning applications
  • facilitate the delivery of key development sites;
  • safeguard and enhance the quality and diversity of places in B&NES including the protection of valued assets and identifying opportunities for change;
  • provide the opportunity to work together with local communities to review Housing Development Boundaries

From a sustainability perspective pages 260 to 291 are the most important as they cover future food, transport and energy policy. We are currently formulating Transition Bath’s response, but if you have anything you would like to highlight in our response please contact us at consultation@transitionbath.org . If you have the time and want to help shape the future of Bath we would encourage you to respond to the consultation.

We have provided some notes containing our initial analysis of the consultation document below. Generally we are supportive of many of the sustainability proposals in the document, the only outlier appears to be the allotment policy which seems to be a weakening of current requirements for developers to include allotments in all new large developments.

Notes

  • P260-p262: Local Food Growing Space/Allotments: support existing allotments
    • Options 4 and 5 – requiring developers to build allotments into new large developments appears better than the default proposal iii.
  • P263-277 Sustainable transport
    • P269: Continued support for Rail Freight Yard at Westmoreland Road
    • P269: Saltford Station
    • P276: provision of more electric power points for cars missing?
  • P278-p291: Sustainable Construction and Renewable Energy
    • General support for the council’s position on Sustainable Construction and Renewable Energy while recognising the constraints placed on it by national policy
    • P281: Extensions: would support the councils ‘Emerging Policy SCR1’ – to encourage householders to upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes when extensions are built
    • P282: Energy Efficiency of non-domestic dwellings: We would encourage the council to additionally include a policy about building new schools to the highest level of energy efficiency, rather than having to retrofit them almost immediately after they are built – for example proposing a minimum BREEAM Excellent standard, or some reference to emerging EU 2019 requirements? We would support the proposed option of minimum DEC ‘A’ rating but are unsure how this would be enforced once the building was built and was in use?
    • P283: we would support the council in asking for Allowable Solutions to be delivered within the local area, although our preference is for onsite provision, for example using solar PV for new developments
    • P284: On-site renewables: would support the council in applying the Merton Rule at 20% with no relaxation to a lower standard
    • P286-287: Ground-mounted solar arrays: would support policy SCR6 and feel it should be stated and not left out
    • P288: support a community led energy strategy
    • P289: would support the council in requiring the national optional standard on Water Efficiency of 105/110 litres per person per day
    • P290: support the measures to require Cycle Storage on domestic and non-domestic dwellings
    • P291: District Heating: to support this and should try to ensure Crest Nicolson deliver district heating for the remainder of Bath Western Riverside – they have stated they are not planning on extending the current network for future developments which seems to disagree with 2.408 in the Placemaking Plan?
    • P300: Air Quality Standards: Could they be strengthen further? B&NES are already failing to meet EU pollution standards e.g. on the London Road – how are they proposing fixing this problem? Perhaps the council should impose high parking tax on diesels like some London council’s, big discounts for electric cars and plug-ins?
    • P312-313: Energy Minerals: ideally feel that fracking should not be encouraged within AONB and WHS

Other sections of interest:

  • P180 Self-build (follow national policy, no CIL where meets criteria)
  • P181 Space-standards “2.37 Local community groups and professional bodies are supportive in particular of the implementation of local space standards.”, waiting on national standards
  • P195: support farm diversification (including renewable energy, farm shops)
  • P208: local shops
  • P215: Visual amenities of the Green Belt: may conflict with the siting of solar PV
  • P260-p262: Local Food Growing Space/Allotments: support existing allotments

Additionally the document outlines plans for development in the following areas:

  • the Old Cattle Market to the east of Walcot Street (Housing, Retail, Office Space, Hotel)
  • the Central Riverside and Recreation Ground (improved access, car parking)
  • to the east of Manvers Street (Office, Retail, Hotel, Housing)
  • North Quays (Office, Hotel, Housing)
  • South Quays (Office, Housing)
  • South Bank (Office, Housing)
  • Green Park Station West and Sydenham Park (Office, Retail, Housing)
  • Bath Press (Mixed Economic, Housing)
  • Roseberry Place (Office, Housing)
  • Lockbrook Road and Brassmill Lane (Employment)
  • Bath University Claverton Down (Halls of residence, classrooms)
  • Bath Spa University Newton Park (Residential)
  • Keynsham (see Core Strategy, district heating network, new roads)
  • Keynsham Somerdale (Housing x 700, Office, School, GP Surgery, Leisure)
  • Keysham Ashton Way Car Park (CHP plant for district heating)
  • Keysham Riverside Offices (Comprehensive redevelopment)
  • Somer Valley (Housing, Retail)
  • Rural areas (small scale housing depending on village size and facilities)