“Charting the Course: Key Decisions Ahead for B&NES Local Plan and Stakeholder Engagement”

Suggestions to revise and reconnect with communities throughout Bath and North East Somerset regarding the reconfiguration of the Local Plan and a request for sites for forthcoming residential and employment development have been outlined.

In December, the newly appointed government outlined its obligatory housing objectives which reflect a substantial increase in the housing numbers that B&NES will be required to fulfill. According to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the modified housing statistics ramp up the B&NES housing obligation by 105% from 717 per year to 1,471 (approximately 29,000 over a span of twenty years). 

The Local Plan Options document of Bath & North East Somerset Council had already undergone consultation in the spring of the previous year and was based on planning for roughly 14,500 homes by 2042. 

At present, a report of a single-member decision before Councillor Matt McCabe, Cabinet Member for Built Environment, Housing and Sustainable Development, seeks authorization for the release of the ‘Resetting of the Bath and North East Somerset Local Plan and District Wide Spatial Strategy’ document. 

If authorized, it will clarify what resetting entails and why it’s essential. Additionally, it would detail potential district-wide strategies that could serve as focal points for contemplating sites for further development. An updated Communication and Engagement Strategy is also set to be released in February.

The document before Councillor McCabe further suggests that a new ‘call for sites’ for residential and employment development is conducted to provide an opportunity for landowners, builders, communities, and other stakeholders to recommend potential sites for both housing and economic development that may be considered alongside existing sites identified by the council. If approved, the ‘call for sites’ would commence in the week beginning 3 February, with a submission deadline of 21 March. 

Councillor McCabe stated: “We had already initiated the first phase of consultation on the Local Plan and then the new housing targets were established. This necessitates that we reevaluate and reset our Local Plan. We aim to collaborate with parish and town councils and our communities to ensure we tackle significant local concerns so we can develop sustainable and healthy environments through the Local Plan process.”

Bath & North East Somerset Council updated sections of its Local Plan through the Local Plan Partial Update (LPPU), accepted in January 2023. 

Last September, the Cabinet agreed to reset the B&NES Local Plan which had already been through an initial round of public consultation. It also agreed to persist in collaborating with parish and town councils and local stakeholders to seek potential new development sites to support a modified housing target. 

A consultation regarding the proposed options for future development demands across Bath and North East Somerset occurred last year, with a comprehensive public consultation on additional options scheduled for later this year.

The revised timeline for preparing the reset Local Plan is, as mandated by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, detailed in the council’s Local Development Scheme, published and effective from December 2024.

ENDS