PROTESTERS voiced their anger at the proposed “decimation of the Green Belt” as councillors approved a 15-year blueprint for the future of South Gloucestershire.
The Local Plan, which allocates land for 22,500 homes and thousands of jobs between 2026 and 2041, will go out to a final round of public consultation from the end of February before being sent to a government planning inspector for a public examination next year.
The council’s Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors voted in favour at a council meeting on February 12.
The joint administration insisted that although some decisions had been painful, it would provide new homes in places that could be supported by infrastructure such as schools, GP surgeries, employment, roads and public transport.
They said that if the plan was not published by March 12, new government housing targets would apply, and mean having to add an extra 5,000 homes.
Campaign group Save Our Green Spaces South Gloucestershire (SOGS-SG) has criticised the authority for allocating huge swathes of the greenbelt for development.
Opposition Conservatives voted against the plan and demanded changes.
Public speakers at the packed meeting also spoke out.
Siston Parish Council chair Andrew Stacey told councillors: “Residents are extremely angry that you’ve chosen to decimate a major part of the Green Belt within the parish and build a wholly unnecessary number of houses.”
Tory group leader Sam Bromiley said the administration had not listened to residents’ worries.
He said: “The anger is clear. We’ve heard the very real stories of how this plan will affect people whose lives will be ruined.
“There are genuine concerns that cannot be ignored.”
Lib Dem cabinet member for planning, regeneration and infrastructure Chris Willmore said: “Without a Local Plan we have been at the whim of developers putting in speculative planning applications and getting consent on appeal.
“That has to stop. The only way to do that is to get a plan in place, otherwise we might as well go home and let the market rip.”
She said proposals would reduce “unsustainable” commuting, include wind turbines delivering energy, make new homes cheaper to heat and more planet-friendly, and provide new affordable homes for rent in rural communities.
Labour co-leader Ian Boulton said: “At a time when home ownership has become a luxury for many, we are proud of the Labour Party’s work to change this – both nationally and locally.
“This plan ensures that our residents have access to warm, safe, and affordable housing.”
By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service