Avon Green Belt
TheAvon Green Belt,[1]also known as theBristol and Bath Green Belt[2](orBath and Bristol Green Belt[3]), is a non-statutorygreen beltenvironmentalandplanningpolicy that regulates urban expansion and development in the countryside surrounding the cities ofBristolandBathin theSouth Westregion ofEngland.It covers areas in Bristol,South Gloucestershire,North Somerset,Bath and North East Somerset,Mendip,andWiltshire.Essentially, the function of the green belt is to limiturban sprawland maintain the open character of areas around theBristoland Bath built up areas, and nearby towns and villages.[4]The policy is implemented bylocal planning authoritieson the basis of guidance from central government.
Geography
[edit]The land area of the green belt is 66,868 hectares, 0.5% of the total land area of England (2010).[1]Much of the green belt lies within theNorth Somerset,Bath and North East SomersetandSouth Gloucestershiredistricts, with smaller areas in the west of Wiltshire, Mendip district and Bristol. Key towns and villages surrounded by or immediately adjoining the green belt includeThornbury,Yate,Chipping Sodbury,Frampton Cotterell,Winterbourne,Coalpit Heath,Keynsham,Bradford on Avon,Trowbridge,Nailsea,Backwell,Portishead,andClevedon.Bristol Airportis also surrounded by green belt.
The green belt includes parts of twoAreas of Outstanding Natural Beauty,Mendip Hillsto the south and theCotswoldsto the east. Responsibility and co-ordination of green belt policy rests with localunitaryand district councils as these are thelocal planning authorities;however the area is largely covered by theWest of England Combined Authoritywhich has some responsibilities for the infrastructure of the area.[5][6]
History of the policy
[edit]The Bristol and Bath Green Belt was first established through thecounty development plansforGloucestershire,SomersetandWiltshire.In Somerset, the policy was adopted locally in 1957 and formally, with ministerial approval, in 1966. Subsequently, theCounty of Avonstructure planadopted in 1985 confirmed the general extent of the green belt, with some variations, and detailed boundaries were reviewed throughlocal plans.In 2002, the draft Joint Structure Plan for theWest of Englandagain broadly confirmed the extent of the green belt, and set out the following policy: "A Green Belt shall continue to surround and separate Bristol and Bath, and will be kept open in order to:
- check the unrestricted sprawl of the Bristol conurbation and Bath;
- assist in safeguarding the surrounding countryside from encroachment;
- prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another;
- preserve the setting and special character of villages, towns and historic cities; and
- assist in urban regeneration. "[7]
The policy is subject to further review as part of the West of England Joint Spatial Plan, to be submitted to the UK government in 2018.[8]
In 2017, theCentre for Citiescalled for more houses to be built on the Bristol greenbelt, saying that it was the only way to address the housing crisis in the area. They noted that there were only space for 4,300 homes on brownfield land, whereas the three local councils in the region aim to build 85,000 over the next twenty years.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ab"Green Belts in England: Key facts - A series of factsheets on England's 14 Green Belts".
- ^"Bath & North East Somerset Green Belt Review - Stage 1 Report April 2013 - Green Belt history and policy origins"(PDF).www.bathnes.gov.uk.
- ^"PROTECTING AND ENHANCING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSETS".www.mendip.gov.uk.
- ^Fawcett, Tony."Green Belts: A greener future - Campaign to Protect Rural England".Archived fromthe originalon 27 June 2018.Retrieved29 December2017.
- ^"West of England £1bn devolution deal announced in Budget".BBC News. 16 March 2016.Retrieved17 March2016.
- ^"The West of England devolution deal".Bristol City Council.Retrieved6 November2016.
- ^West of England Joint Spatial Plan Green Belt Assessment, November 2015.Retrieved 13 January 2018
- ^West of England Joint Spatial Plan.Retrieved 13 January 2018
- ^"Bristol greenbelt 'needed for housing' think tank says".BBC News.27 February 2017.
