Have your say on latest blueprint for future of Bristol

Marvin Rees has vowed to protect Bristol from unscrupulous developers, saying the council will resist a “smash and grab” approach that’s not in the city’s interests.

The mayor was speaking as he launched the latest phase of the updated Local Plan, which sets out a vision for the future and earmarks sites for more than 33,500 homes to be built by 2036.

A chunky document of more than 150 neatly bound pages, the latest blueprint for development across the city includes the Agent of Change principle for the first time, which helps protect music venues by putting the onus on an incoming developer to mitigate against any negative impact on neighbouring properties.

……………………….

Read more: The future of Bristol’s live music scene

……………………….

It includes details of key regeneration sites; including Temple Quarter, St Philip’s Marsh, Cumberland Basin (or, as it’s now re-named, Western Harbour), ‘Frome Gateway’, Lawrence Hill, Fishponds, Bedminster, Lockleaze, Southmead and Brislington.

The Cumberland Basin, or Western Harbour, is earmarked for major redevelopment

There are also new sections on student accommodation, community-led and self-build homes and tall buildings.

The mayor has said before that he wants the city’s skyline to grow, and page 121 of the draft Local Plan sets out how tall buildings can “communicate ambition, energy and innovation”, stipulating that they should be “designed and located to be visually attractive, creating a positive feature in the urban environment”.

People are now being asked to give their views on the plan that is also designed to protect green spaces and “environmental assets” and help support the creation of jobs, with allocation of employment land.

Marvin Rees says the Labour administration is ‘delivering at scale for Bristol’

Launching the document in The Hub at Gainsborough Square in Lockleaze, one of the areas set to see an influx of new housing, the mayor said: “This is really about putting the foundations in place to go forward and deliver at least 33,500 homes, which is really essential to the city’s wellbeing.

“We are delivering at scale for Bristol.”

On student accommodation, he said: “We absolutely want our universities to grow and flourish – they are a huge part of the city brand, but it has to be done in a way the city can manage.”

He added that the new inclusion of guidelines for community-led housing is a new and “very Bristol” addition, saying this approach to building homes is central to the city and “could be a really exciting aspect of the way we do things”.

Coming just two months after the One City Plan – which sets out ambitions and goals for the next 30 years – the latest Local Plan is an updated version of the current 2011 document.

It sits under the West of England Joint Spatial Plan – an overarching planning framework – and neighbourhood plans feed into it at a more local level. All clear?

……………………….

Read more: ‘We have got to have ambitions for Bristol’

……………………….

Once this second consultation process is complete, the document is expected to go to full council towards the end of this year and will then need to be submitted to the secretary of state. It is unlikely to be adopted until the summer of 2020 at the earliest.

The further along the process it gets, the more weight it will have in informing planning decisions, but the mayor issued assurances that his administration is working to keep checks on developers in the meantime.

“We want developers to come here and build houses,” said Rees. “But we don’t want bad development because that costs money in the long run. No-one is coming here to smash and grab – we will resist that.”

The mayor revealed he has had frank conversations with government officials, arguing they need to back the council with “the sovereignty to make the plans we need for our city”.

The mayor concluded: “The Local Plan will help us to build a better Bristol and shape the city to meet the needs of the future – a city of hope and aspiration where everyone shares in its success.

“While building housing, particularly affordable homes, is one of our key priorities, this plan also looks to protect green spaces, promote business and the development of new work space, and tackle the health challenges faced by our city.

“I would encourage everyone to take a look at the plan and help us to shape Bristol for years to come.”

The draft Bristol Local Plan Review can be viewed at www.bristol.gov.uk/localplanreview. The consultation ends on May 24 2019.

Read more: Plans to tighten control over student accommodation in Bristol