Council to challenge decision to allow appeal over 121-home development

South Gloucestershire Council is to challenge a planning inspector’s decision to allow a developer’s appeal and grant planning permission for a 121-home development.

The unitary authority said that if permission were granted for Barratt Homes’ scheme at land north of Wotton Road in Charfield, then it would “undermine the Joint Spatial Plan (JSP) process and its impact upon the residents and communities of South Gloucestershire”.

Leader of the Council Cllr Toby Savage said: “As a council administration, we are determined to take robust action to challenging unsustainable development across the district.

“We reiterate that where we have taken difficult decisions to proactively and positively plan for future housing and jobs growth, we should not have decisions from the Planning Inspectorate which undermines this work as it only stores up economic, social and environmental problems for the future.

“We are clear that enough is enough and we mean it. This unprecedented second legal challenge is evidence of our strong approach and considering each case on its individual merits.”

Cabinet Member for Planning Cllr Colin Hunt said: “In South Gloucestershire we are trying to be plan led with our decisions on planning applications. While we appreciate that we have a short fall on our five-year land supply, nonetheless we want decisions to reflect that we have a solid plan that was prepared in consultation with the public.

“It is not appropriate for Charfield and other locations in the area to be under attack from speculative developers in this way, who are seeking to circumvent the plan led system and community engagement in a manner which undermines the recently submitted JSP.”