B&NES Council has just published an update on its Local Plan proposals which have been on hold since the government announced new housing building targets in B&NES in the Autumn, more than doubling them from 717 homes per year to 1,471. This represents an extra 29,000 new homes by 2042, a very significant 35% increase on current housing stock. The government’s justification is to promote growth and targets areas with a lack of affordable housing, like B&NES. The Council has now put forward a request for further suggestions of land which might be suitable for housebuilding, The Council have made some suggestions here about how this extra housing could potentially be satisfied:
- Expanding homes on the periphery of Bath
- Land near Bristol
- Expanding the towns of Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, Radstock and Westfield
- Expanding sustainable villages – those with a broad range of facilities including public transport
- Growth around ‘transport corridors’
- New towns: locations unspecified
There is an emphasis on ensuring these new homes are supported by public transport, active travel and local facilities. We assume the changes to improve the already high standards of energy efficiency of new homes remain unchanged from the previous consultation? We now however feel Transition Bath should push to ensure as low embodied energy is used in the construction of these homes as possible – a typical brick home currently generates about as embodied carbon emissions as 100 years of operation. This will significantly increase local carbon emissions, and we wonder whether these house building increases will be compatible with the Climate Change Act?
We also wonder whether the Council should set higher than the current 30% target for affordable homes which may reduce the need for more market homes?
We are planning on holding an open meeting in March to discuss this with the Council – watch this space.