Agenda item

This report provides an update on various development sites in Radstock & Westfield. 

The Senior Development Officer introduced this item to the Panel. She explained that the adopted Core Strategy sets out the Council’s five year housing land supply and is especially useful for the Somer Valley. She added that it demonstrates that greenfield sites outside the housing development boundary are not required to provide a 5 year housing supply in the area. 

She stated that the Placemaking Plan would identify key measures required to achieve the ambition and that the Core Strategy (including the placemaking principles in Policy SV3) set the context for the Placemaking Plan.

She informed the Panel that the Placemaking Plan will allocate key sites in the centre of Radstock and set out the design / placemaking principles for the development of these sites. She said that the sites were likely to include: Charltons, Rymans, the library, Coombend, Old School, Norton Radstock College and St Peter’s Factory site (remainder of Local Plan allocation). 

She added that it will also consider and identify the infrastructure requirements to support the development of the town centre: employment space, health, community facilities, parking, highways, cycle provision, education, ecology, to ensure the necessary infrastructure is funded and delivered in a timely manner to support new development.

She said that the Former Railway Land, Radstock was granted Outline Planning Consent in June ’14, which included detailed planning consent for the B&NES highway works. The Highway works began at the end of July and that work from now until Christmas will focus on building the link road and new roundabout on Frome Road.  After Christmas work will focus on the changes to The Street and Fortescue Road and these are scheduled to be completed in Summer ’15.

She stated that the Council was looking to expand the car park to the rear of the library and that a planning application for change of use is currently being prepared.  In addition, a traffic regulation order process has begun to implement a 5 hour parking restriction in Waterloo Road and the Library car park to ensure there is parking available for shoppers and visitors.

She explained that it is proposed that the Council establishes the Radstock & Westfield Development Advisory Group.  The purpose is to ensure that locally elected members (ward members and representatives from the town council) are kept informed on all key developments that take place within the Radstock and Westfield Wards and to provide a clear process of engagement with the local community to avoid duplication and improve communication. She added that this does not replace any statutory consultation required as part of the planning and transportation statutory process.

The Chair asked where the jobs were planned to come from to match up with the housing proposals.

The Senior Development Officer replied that employment sites have been identified within the Core Strategy.

Councillor Gerry Curran commented that the Council were keen to build on brownfield sites. He added that home buyers do not necessarily purchase a house to be near work.

The Chair thanked the Senior Development Officer for her report and for all officers associated with the Core Strategy.

The Panel RESOLVED to note the progress on Radstock & Westfield sites and the proposed steering group ‘Radstock & Westfield Development Advisory Group’.