Plans to build up to 149 homes on Green Belt land in Hanham put to public

Plans have been put forward to build more than 140 homes on green belt land on the edge of Hanham.

The site, made up of three fields, is based south of Hencliffe Way and west of Castle Farm Road. A public right of way crosses the middle of the site from north to south and a circular one runs around the northern boundary. Hencliff Wood is to the south and west while homes in Hencliffe Way are based to the north of the land. A public consultation runs until February 26 for residents to voice their opinion on the plans.

The land, known locally as The Batch, provides an “excellent opportunity to deliver much-needed market and affordable homes for the area in a sustainable location” according to a consultation website launched by Ashfield Land and Redrow Homes. Up to 149 dwellings, made up of one-to-four bedroom properties, are proposed along with a new woodland, picnic/recreation area with a pedestrian/cycle link from the existing public car park, and other areas of public open space.

Consultants, Grass Roots Planning confirmed a primary access route is being sought with one of the properties in Hencliffe Way after a road safety audit concluded access is safe and the infrastructure can support 149 additional dwellings without adverse effect. Pedestrian, cycle and emergency access would be available from Castle Farm Road.

Grass Roots Planning has acknowledged that housing projects can be “concerning, and particularly where a site is in the Green Belt – but most people know someone that is struggling to get on the housing ladder and desperately in need of a home of their own. Having reviewed land south of Hencliffe Way, we consider that this site, given its urban edge location and its visual self-containment, does not particularly contribute to the purposes of the Green Belt.”

The term ‘Green Belt’ refers to a specially designated area of countryside protected from most forms of development. This is done in an attempt to stop urban sprawl, preserve the character of existing settlements and encourage development within existing built-up areas.

Grass Roots Planning defended its strategy to build on the Green Belt, citing two failed attempts to develop the site. It explained: “South Gloucestershire Council’s last Local Plan that allocated sites for growth was adopted in 2013 – 10 years ago.

“There have been two failed attempts at strategic planning in the area since this time – firstly the Joint Spatial Plan (a joint working approach between Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol City, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset) which was found unsound by the independent Planning Inspectorate in 2018, and then the Spatial Development Strategy which was abandoned in 2022, largely due to a lack of agreement about how Bristol’s unmet housing need would be dealt with by the neighbouring authorities.

“There is therefore a lack of a clear plan for growth in this area and what is becoming clear is that South Gloucestershire Council will not have a new Local Plan in place for many years to come which will allocate sites to meet the desperate need for both market and affordable housing in the wider Bristol area.

“Based on the council’s current timetable, a new plan will not be in place until at earliest, 2025 – and this plan doesn’t intend to allocate smaller sites, but instead will simply propose ‘areas’ of growth. As such, we consider that action is required now to address this critical issue, which is why this site is being brought forward.”

The online consultation and more information on the plans can be found here.