Opinion
Opinion piece on launch of Council's Core Strategy by Cllr Francine
Haeberling, featured in various local newspapers, Septermber 2009:
This week Bath and North East Somerset Council is to debate proposals which will be of great significance to all residents in our area for the next two decades. The ‘Core Strategy Options’ document, as it is called, will also provide a great opportunity for local people to voice their views on what development should take place and where in the coming years.The Council’s ‘Core Strategy Options’ is a consultation document which sets out the possible locations and numbers of new house-building in our area between now and 2026. It also sets out the economic needs and infrastructure requirements for Bath and North East Somerset over this time period.
Firstly, let me be clear that no final decision is being taken by the Council this week on new house-building. What is being proposed is a consultation document which everyone in B&NES will be encouraged to give feedback on. The final B&NES Core Strategy will not be agreed by the Council until 2011, and there will undoubtedly be significant revisions to the document before then.
Many residents will welcome the proposals in the Core Strategy document which begin to set a clear framework for the regeneration of urban areas in B&NES, and in particular the centre of Bath and its river corridor, as well as in Keynsham, Midsomer Norton and Radstock.
However, many will also be very concerned about the options for so-called ‘Urban Extensions’ to the west of Bath and south of Bristol around the Whitchurch area.
The Council is very aware of the concerns of residents in these areas and shares many of their anxieties. However, the Council has been given a clear directive from the Government Office for the South West that this Core Strategy document must be based on the Government’s draft Regional Spatial Strategy for our area. This means that the Bath and Bristol urban extensions must be included as options in this consultation document.
The Council has clearly stated that it does not believe the Government’s most recent figure of 21,300 new homes by 2026 is achievable. The Council also believes that meeting even the 15,500 target will be very challenging, particularly given the vastly reduced economic projections we are faced with since this number was originally suggested. The Core Strategy consultation document is clear that if these figures are not achievable, they will have to be revised.
The Council also has a clearly stated position that infrastructure improvements to cope with new housing must be in place up-front. The Core Strategy document also clearly states that the Council believes brownfield sites must be developed first and that green fields must be a last resort, and that any new development must meet clear sustainability criteria.
Balancing the need for affordable housing and regeneration with the desire to protect our countryside is a challenging task. Therefore, if the Council votes to proceed with consultation on this document, I urge all local residents to take part and give your views on these important proposals.
Cllr Francine Haeblerling,
Conservative Leader, Bath and North East Somerset Council