Failand avoids housing development.....for now
North Somerset Council preferred options for housing excludes sites in Failand.
Today North Somerset Council published its preferred options for accommodating the 20,085 homes it is being told by central government its needs to provide over the next 15 years. Although a significant site is proposed near Long Ashton nothing has been allocated to Failand.
As reported early last year residents of Failand received literature from Harrow Estates promoting the development of around 40 hectares of land to accommodate approximately 500 houses. Harrow estates were hoping that the sites illustrated below would be included the Local Plan being developed by North Somerset Council.
North Somerset Council has been developing a Local Plan and the report issued today is the latest stage in the process. The council has already consulted on the framework for developing the Local Plan and issued a 'call for sites' to local developers and landowners.
Unfortunately the Local Plan is likely to see significant development on the green belt. As the document says: "The scale of the housing requirement and the lack of sustainable locations outside the Green Belt which conform to the spatial strategy, the Preferred Options suggests the need to allocate Green Belt land". Although this has sadly seen the allocation of a new strategic growth site near Long Ashton (by Yanley Lane and Woodspring Golf Course) there are no allocations proposed for Failand.
Development in Failand 'not appropriate'
The report discusses the approach taken to assessing the Green Belt and proposes four locations for development. In this discussion is it noted that 'villages in the Green Belt such as Pill/Easton-in-Gordano or Failand are not appropriate locations for development'.
However, it is important to note two things. Firstly, the report only proposes sites for 18,046 dwellings. This is 2,039 short of the allocation given to us by central government. Additional allocations will need to be made to make up this shortfall, an allocation that could include Failand. Secondly, these allocations are not final and there will be a a 6 week public consultation in March and April. it is quite possible that changes to allocations will be made as a consequence of this consultation.
Although many Failand residents will be pleased that local development has been excluded from the preferred options issued today, there is clearly a long way to go before we can be certain the green belt around Failand has been saved for future generations.
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