Clerk: Mrs Dawn Bramley, FALFIELD 1 Court Mead, Stone, Gloucestershire, GL13 9LF. PARISH COUNCIL Telephone: (01454) 261677 [email protected]

West of England Joint Planning Consultation C/O South Gloucestershire Council PO Box 299 Corporate Research and Consultation Team Civic Centre High Street Kingswood Bristol BS15 0DR

Dear West of England Joint Planning Consultation Team, Falfield Parish Council’s would like to respond to the following West of England Joint Spatial Plan (JSP) consultation questions. JSP Question: Do you have comments on the suitability of any of the strategic locations? Yes, the Parish Council has the following comments regarding the proposed strategic locations: Town Expansion – Thornbury Thornbury has already had substantial housing development proposals approved (Park Farm, Thornbury Fields and Post Farm) which will put a strain on the local facilities and services e.g. doctors, dentists, and schools. Additional development will further stretch these local facilities and services and negatively impact on the residents in the surrounding areas that also rely on them e.g. Falfield’s parishioners. The local transport infrastructure in Thornbury is heavily reliant on car usage and the surrounding rural area will struggle to accommodate additional vehicles, especially at peak times. Other Settlements/Locations - Charfield Charfield has also had substantial housing development approved (Charfield Green and Day House Leaze) which will put a strain on the local facilities and services e.g. doctors, dentists, and schools. Additional development will further stretch the small amount of local facilities and services available and negatively impact on the residents in the surrounding areas that also rely on them e.g. Falfield’s parishioners. The local transport infrastructure in Charfield is heavily reliant on car usage and the surrounding rural area will struggle to accommodate additional vehicles, especially at peak times. The reopening of Charfield Railway Station would be of benefit to existing and new residents. Both Thornbury and Charfield are close to the Gloucestershire County border so the impact of any new large developments approved in nearby towns in Gloucestershire should be taken into consideration. For example, new housing is already in the pipeline for Cam & Dursley and Sharpness. Some of their residents also use the local facilities and services in the northern part of South Gloucestershire e.g. schools. This increase of housing will generate more traffic usage of the A38 and M5 Motorway Junction 14 in Falfield, increasing congestion at peak times. JSP Question: Which spatial scenario (or mix of scenarios) is likely to best deliver the plan’s objectives? The Parish Council has the following comments regarding the proposed spatial scenarios: Part of the purpose of the Green Belt is to safeguard the countryside from encroachment, to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns, and to assist in urban regeneration. Under the Scenario 1 approach, inappropriately large volumes of housing could end up far away from the centre of the city of Bristol and intruding on rural countryside. Long term under this approach, it may result in a strip of housing estates and urbanisation along the northern boundary of the Green Belt, where it is least sustainable with an increase in people commuting back and fore into Bristol across the belt. This approach encourages a hemmed in Green Belt with urbanisation on both sides. If this happens there would then be pressure on the Green Belt to shrink in size in future decades, as it has nowhere else to expand to. Scenario 1 is least likely to deliver the plan’s objectives. It would affect the open countryside, increase the amount of commuting traffic and reduce people’s options to walk or cycle to work due to the distances involved. It would negatively affect Falfield which is bisected by the busy A38 and also accommodates the busy M5 Motorway Junction 14. Scenario 2 would have the least impact on a rural parish like Falfield. It would encourage use of brownfield land and concentrate development where people already live and work. It would create less long distance commuting, encouraging the options of walking and cycling to work. If the inner edge of the green belt is utilised, then the outer edge may be expanded outwards. Under Scenario 3, the reopening of Charfield Railway Station would be of benefit to our parishioners. However public transport provision and parking at the station would need to be greatly improved to encourage residents in this part of South Gloucestershire to utilise this facility. Under Scenario 4, a more even spread of development across the whole west of England catchment area would need to ensure that any additions are proportional to the size of the settlements chosen for expansion. There is still scope to extend the green belt outwards if necessary. This scenario may increase the amount of commuting traffic and at more remote sites could reduce people’s options to walk or cycle to work due to the distances involved. It will be difficult to make meaningful infrastructure improvements if this piecemeal approach is adopted. Falfield Parish Council cannot comment on Scenario 5 until any potential locations for these new communities are identified.

The Parish Council would also like to submit the comments below relating to the sites within the parish identified in the Joint Spatial Plan Sorting Technical Document - Call for Sites Register & Maps document. Site SG00119 – Glebe Land, West of A38, Falfield village, South Gloucestershire.  Submitted as part of the South Gloucestershire Council Polices, Sites and Places Call for Sites consultation and is listed in the PSP Call for Sites December 2015 updated document as PSP Site 77 & 405 – Reference: CFS183 & CFS313/CFS310.  Outside the Falfield village settlement boundary.  Potential water/flooding issues as mentioned in the Falfield 2007 Affordable Housing Project Site Report.  Access onto the A38 is very difficult as mentioned in the Falfield 2007 Affordable Housing Project Site Report. It is extremely close to the busy B4509 M5 motorway junction.  No mains gas or sewerage in the parish.  There are no pedestrian paths or safe cycling routes available to local nursery, primary and secondary schools.  Limited public transport provision to nearby larger town centres and journey times are lengthy. Parishioners regularly report difficulty in using public transport to go to and from any place of employment or further education.  The site states it can provide up to 20 dwellings. There are approximately 228 dwellings in the entire parish, approximately 92 of which are within the village settlement boundary. A development of 20 dwellings would increase the overall size of the parish by 9%. If compared to the number within the village settlement boundary, which the land borders, it would increase the size of the settlement by a factor of 22%. Site SG00209 – Henage Farm, Moorslade Lane, Falfield  Submitted as part of the South Gloucestershire Council Polices, Sites and Places Call for Sites consultation and is listed in the PSP Call for Sites December 2015 updated document as Part of PSP Site 80 Reference: CFS081 & CFS101.  Outside the Falfield village settlement boundary.  Potential water/flooding issues, there is a stream alongside the site.  Site access is via the busy A38 or single track country lanes without any footpaths.  No mains gas or sewerage in the parish.  There are no pedestrian paths or safe cycling routes available to local nursery, primary and secondary schools.  Limited public transport provision to nearby larger town centres and journey times are lengthy. Parishioners regularly report difficulty in using public transport to go to and from any place of employment or further education.  The site states it can provide 400+ dwellings. There are approximately 228 dwellings in the entire parish, approximately 92 of which are within the settlement boundary. A development of 400 dwellings would effectively triple the overall size of parish i.e. 275%. If compared to the number within the village settlement boundary, which the land borders, it would increase the size of the settlement by a factor of 5 i.e. 534%.

Yours Sincerely,

Dawn Bramley Clerk to Falfield Parish Council