Regional Spatial Strategy scrapped –


Greenbelt campaigners celebrate

Local residents and councillors campaigning against overdevelopment on Greenbelt land near Bath and Bristol are celebrating the news that the Government is to scrap Labour’s Regional Spatial Strategies.

The announcement means that the previous Government’s centrally-imposed house-building targets will be abolished, and instead local councils will be free to decide upon more appropriate levels of new housing.

Under Labour’s centrally-dictated Regional Spatial Strategies, Greenbelt land on the outskirts of Bristol at Whitchurch was earmarked for up to 8,000 new homes, while up to 2,000 were threatened to be built on Greenbelt near Newton St Loe on the edge of Bath.

Whitchurch Conservative Councillor Peter Edwards (B&NES, Publow&Whitcurch) welcomed the news, saying;

“This is fantastic news for local residents in Whitchurch and the surrounding area. We will all breathe a sigh of relief that this threat has now been lifted. Local residents have campaigned tirelessly to save our green fields from being bulldozed, holding public meetings and demonstrations attended by hundreds of people. It’s a campaign I’ve been exceptionally proud to be involved with.”

Councillor Vic Clarke (Cons, Bathavon West), whose ward includes Newton St Loe, commented:

“The central targets which the previous Labour Government wanted to impose were completely unrealistic and took no account of local issues or Greenbelt protection. The scrapping of these ludicrous targets could not come soon enough for residents here. B&NES Council is currently going through the process of revising its local Core Strategy planning document, which can now meet local needs rather than Whitehall targets. As part of this, I will be arguing for a more sustainable number of new houses to be built that focuses on Brownfield redevelopment and protects our valued Greenbelt.”