Questions for North Somerset Council
This Thursday 31st March I will be co-hosting a public meeting about the proposals for a new 'strategic development location' near Long Ashton. You can read more about these proposals in an
article I published a few weeks ago. The event will be held in the community centre, doors open 7pm for a 7:30pm start. We have no idea how many people will attend so
please arrive early to avoid disappointment.
Representatives of North Somerset Council will be available to answer your questions and to explain the reasoning for such a large site being proposed. I have been asked by North Somerset staff to collate
as many questions as possible in advance. By submitting your question in advance it is not only more likely to be answered, but it will give time for a fuller and more detailed response to be prepared. This may be important where your concern is very local or technical in nature.
Below is the list of questions I have already submitted to North Somerset Council. It is a blend between specific questions I have been asked to raise and general queries I have had over the past couple of months. I have grouped them under three headings; 'Maintaining the identity of Long Ashton', 'Environment and Green Belt', and 'Infrastructure'.
If there is a question you would like to ask and it is not covered in the ones below please let me know. Alternatively just turn up at the meeting, there will be time to take questions from the floor.
QUESTIONS: Maintaining the identity of Long Ashton
- How have you arrived at the decision to propose such a large site near Long Ashton?
- Certain sites proposed by developers have not been included in the proposals, in particular
land owned by the University to the south of the railway line.
What chance do the owners of these excluded sites have of overturning the councils’ recommendations? When we will we know that development on these sites has been prevented?
- If the development is approved there is a significant risk that
Yanley Lane becomes a ‘rat run’
between Long Ashton and the new development. If residents agree, can Yanley Lane be made a no through road with access to the Yanley hamlet from Long Ashton?
QUESTIONS: Environment and Green Belt
- The Woodspring / Yanley Lane site is in the green belt. The green belt is meant to be the last resort for development and is much valued by the local communities in Bristol and North Somerset. Can North Somerset Council guarantee that this land will only be released for development once
all other options have been built on, including brownfield sites and suitable sites outside the green belt?'
- We would like to see a
strategic gap between the new development and Bristol. Presently the proposals include developing land on the Bristol side of the A4174. Can this be excluded from the final plan? Or can an alternative strategic gap be reserved? If not, why not?
- We are concerned that the proposals build on some
land with a high environmental value. Please can you explain how any environmental assessment will be considered when deciding whether to allow this as a development site? If the site does get approved, please can you explain how developers can be made to minimise the environmental impact of the new development?
- Residents of Long Ashton and Bristol value the greenbelt.
Access to green open space is a key component of a good quality of life. This development will put further pressure on already overused spaces such as Ashton Court, Leigh Woods, Ashton Hill Woods etc. How will North Somerset Council ensure there are enough well looked after green spaces for people?
- The
Environment Agencies Flood map for the Barrow reservoirs show that in the event of a dam breach a significant proportion of the development site would be at risk. Given the proximity of the dam any substantial breach would involve a significant risk to life. How does NSC justify the selection of this site given the risks and in the absence of any proposals to strengthen the dam?
- How sustainable will the new homes be? We would like to highly energy efficient homes built next to sustainable and high-quality public transport.
QUESTIONS: Infrastructure
- How do we
ensure that this new development has all the infrastructure it needs to be a stand-alone and sustainable community?
- Will the infrastructure needed for this new development be built before the houses? If not, why not?
- If the infrastructure for this new community is to be built after people start moving in then where would early residents be expected to go for key services such as schools, doctors, shops etc? We presume this would be to Bristol, is this correct? If not, how does the council expect to manage this demand to ensure that
services in Long Ashton are not inundated?
- How will the
transport infrastructure around the development be improved?
- How do we ensure a suitable level of
affordable housing in the development? How do we make developers stick to their promise?
- When would
building start and how long would it take to complete the new development?
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