Greens Welcome New Local Plan for Bristol

Bristol Full Council has voted through a new draft Local Plan, setting the rules for new developments in Bristol.

The vote, held on the 31st of October, passed with majority support of Bristol’s 25 Green Councillors and opened the plan to six weeks of consultation before submission to the government for approval. The latest draft is the culmination of years of cross-party work, with a group tasked to update the previous Local Plan first adopted in 2011.

Green councillors pushed hard to ensure the new plan reflects the climate and ecological emergency declarations, as well as working to support the delivery of affordable homes and culture within the plan, though some individual concerns remained about specific site allocations.

Speaking ahead of the debate, Green shadow cabinet member for Planning and City Design Cllr Jenny Bartle said, “This plan sets out the innovation to make developers include affordable units in their designs from the outset, no matter what their viability assessment says. This means that we will have significantly more opportunities to deliver housing at a cost Bristolians can afford.”

Jenny added, “Greens do not have a majority on the council but have pressed hard and been meticulous on every policy at every step, and the Local Plan Working Group is an example of where cross party councillors can come together and develop progressive policy for Bristol.”  

The new Local Plan will provide a strong base of rules for Greens in City Hall after the next election to strengthen further policy around development, as well as the protection of vital green spaces, such as Yew Tree Farm.

Green Shadow Cabinet member for Housing Delivery and Homes Cllr Tony Dyer, said, “We have worked hard to ensure this Local Plan provides Bristol with a very solid set of rules that address both the climate and housing crisis and elected Greens will be making sure they deliver on these. If necessary, Greens will also put forward further supporting planning policy to ensure those positive outcomes are delivered and monitored. Tackling the climate crisis and housing crisis need not be mutually exclusive.”