Bath and North East Somerset Council is proposing a significant shift in its planning approach by allocating a field in the small village of Haydon as a site for up to 140 new homes, despite having refused a planning application for 115 homes on the exact location just last month.
In August, the council’s planning committee rejected a housing association Curo’s application for 115 homes in Haydon, a village near Radstock currently home to around 250 properties. The committee cited concerns including overdevelopment, strained water supply, local wildlife habitats such as red kites and skylarks, and a lack of sufficient jobs and facilities to support the increased population. The vote was narrowly held at 4-3 against the proposals, with committee member Shaun Hughes highlighting the obligation to protect communities from an unrealistic 50% population increase.
However, the latest draft of the council’s Local Plan-which outlines housing targets and land allocations for the next 18 years-includes the same field as a possible site for approximately 140 homes. This comes after the government doubled the district’s housing requirement to 27,324 homes in 2024. The Local Plan prioritises development mainly around Keynsham and the Somer Valley, aiming to avoid compromising Bath’s World Heritage Status by limiting suburban expansion around the city itself.
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The planning committee operates independently from the council administration and was not involved in drafting the Local Plan. The draft will be reviewed by the council cabinet on 10 September and will then enter a six-week public consultation period starting the week commencing 14 September. This consultation period represents the final opportunity for residents to submit feedback before the plan is submitted to the government for approval. Once adopted, the plan will guide planning decisions in the district until 2043.
Local Radstock councillor Lesley Mansell (Labour) urged residents to participate in the consultation, emphasising the need for development that respects local infrastructure limits and preserves the town’s character. She stated, “Radstock deserves a fair say in how future development is planned. We have real constraints and longstanding infrastructure gaps, and it’s important that any growth is properly supported and respects the character of our town.”
Council leader Kevin Guy (Bathavon North, Liberal Democrat) acknowledged the challenges posed by the government’s housing targets, expressing concern that local features such as the World Heritage status and extensive green belt were not fully considered. He remarked, “The government has imposed a requirement for 27,324 homes over 18 years. We had no choice over that figure and we remain concerned that the unique characteristics of our area have not been taken into account as we would have hoped.
“The reality is that a large number of homes are likely to be built in our area. Our only choice is whether we plan for that growth or leave ourselves at the mercy of developers. Without a local plan, we have less influence over where homes are built, what type of homes are built, and how the necessary infrastructure is delivered alongside them.”