Bristol East's Labour MP and Climate Minister, Kerry McCarthy, has once again urged the Government's housing agency to abandon contentious plans to construct hundreds of homes on a green field site in South Bristol. However, she conceded that it is improbable that the development can be halted.
Speaking to Bristol Live, Ms McCarthy said that while she still believes the proposed Brislington Meadows development should not proceed, the campaign to cancel it is likely to fail. Therefore, efforts should be directed towards convincing Homes England, the Government's housing agency, to reduce their plans.
Last week, Bristol Live disclosed that Homes England was persisting with its plan to erect 260 new homes on Brislington Meadows. This green field area has remained undeveloped due to the expansion of South Bristol's Broomhill council estate and a nearby industrial estate.
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Homes England confirmed that the site's marketing is ongoing as the agency seeks a housebuilding company to construct the homes. A detailed planning application is expected to be submitted this summer.
The agency also informed Bristol Live that it continues to liaise with Bristol City Council to ensure the site remains designated for housing in its draft Local Plan, reports .
Kerry McCarthy has been lobbying Homes England to abandon their development plans, but with little success. Instead, the focus has shifted towards minimising environmental damage.
"I met with Homes England in November to discuss their plans and, as I understand it, they are hoping to announce their development partner shortly," she said. "They then aim to work with them and the local community to develop a more detailed planning application over the Spring and hope to submit this in the summer. During our meeting I pushed Homes England to either cancel the development or reduce its footprint; either by densifying it, or reducing the number of homes."
Despite opposition from Bristol City Council, Homes England secured permission on appeal for 260 new homes in 2023. The site's history is contentious: earmarked for housing in 2014, former Mayor Marvin Rees urged Homes England to purchase the land in 2019 using £15 million of public funds to expedite construction.
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However, in a reversal during his 2021 election campaign, Mr Rees pledged to halt development, a promise he ultimately could not keep after a Government Planning Inspector endorsed Homes England's project.
Ms McCarthy, the MP for Bristol East which includes the meadows site, said: "I am still of the view that the development should not go ahead.
"Brislington Meadows is a key green, protected space in the city and should remain undeveloped. I am entirely supportive of the Government's aim to build thousands of homes in and around Bristol to address the housing crisis here, and across the country, but as we develop more homes locally it will become even more vital to protect key urban green spaces like the Meadows or the Nightingale Valley."
The MP acknowledged that efforts to halt the development were unlikely to succeed, so the focus should now be on minimising its impact. She said: "It is now almost two years since the planning inspector overturned the council's decision about the site, and since I petitioned Michael Gove to overturn that decision."
She added that the Government had refused to intervene, arguing that such powers should only be used in exceptional circumstances, which they did not believe applied here.
Given the passage of time and the lack of change in the situation, Ms McCarthy does not believe a further appeal to the new Secretary of State would be fruitful, as they would likely receive the same advice.
She added: "As such the attention now turns to the restricted planning application and the Council. I have heard worrying rumours that the site might now be reclassified for development in the emerging Local Plan - which does not presently include enough housing allocations - by either the council or the Planning Inspector.
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"I have written to the council to emphasise that it should not be included and to ask about their position on any reserved matters application. They have assured me there are no present plans to include the Meadows in the next Local Plan, but I will keep an eye on this and would oppose it being included," she added.
The draft Local Plan for 2024 - set to replace the 2014 map that includes Brislington Meadows as a housing site - includes an anomaly.
It designates the Meadows site as a green space that shouldn't be developed, while simultaneously acknowledging the 2023 planning permission to build houses there.
"I will continue to look for effective avenues to stop the development, but my personal view is that it is now unlikely we will be able to prevent it," acknowledged Ms McCarthy.
She added: "I will be sending a very clear message about what I want to see from any restricted planning application: a small, green development with a small surface area that has a local, positive and measurable impact on biodiversity. I will be working to emphasise this as far as possible and hope the Council and wider community will support me in doing so."
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