Use this page to help you to identify proposed policy changes which are most likely to affect you. You may also wish to look carefully at our Businesses: what this means for you page. Select a topic to read about the update in more detail.
We are proposing to include updates to a number of policy areas which address the Climate and Ecological Emergency:
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How to deliver more sustainable transport options
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a Net Zero Carbon policy for new build residential and non-residential development
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Improved guidance on retrofitting energy efficiency measures to make existing properties more environmentally friendly
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A revision of the currently adopted renewable energy policy (such as solar and wind power), to set out a clearer, more positive strategy in helping to facilitate renewable energy infrastructure development, including some explorations of the most appropriate locations
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Updates to our biodiversity and green infrastructure policies
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Introduce a new policy requiring Biodiversity Net Gain within new development (meaning that new development must make a measurable improvement on biodiversity)
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Supporting ecological networks and Nature Recovery Networks
As well as this consultation, we are also consulting on a new Supplementary Planning Document which aims to support you to make your home more environmentally friendly.
We are proposing new site allocations to deliver around 1,100 new homes, in order to meet the housing requirement in our Core Strategy. These are primarily on brownfield (ex-industrial) sites and in Bath and Keynsham, in line with our existing spatial strategy.
Brownfield sites
- Bath Riverside (additional capacity)
- Twerton Park
- Royal United Hospital
- Sion Hill (Bath Spa University)
- St Martin’s Hospital, Bath
- Fire Station site, Keynsham
- Treetops Nursing Home, Keynsham
- Paulton Printworks site
Greenfield sites
- Keynsham safeguarded land
- Silver Street, Midsomer Norton
We are proposing to widen the scope of the current policy on HMOs (H2), so that it covers all of the following types of application:
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Planning applications in Bath City for the change of use from residential (C3) to small HMO (C4) (already covered now)
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Change of use from C3 residential (C3) to large HMO of more than 6 people (sui generis)
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New build HMOs
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Change of use to HMO from other uses, for example commercial
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The intensification of small HMOs (C4) to large HMOs (sui generis)
We will supplement these policy changes with a consultation on updates to our Supplementary Planning Document on Houses in Multiple Occupation.
Proposed policy changes include greater prioritisation of student accommodation on university campuses, rather than in the city, and an update to the policy framework for the University of Bath Claverton Down site.
We are planning to revise the role of Bath's Park & Ride sites to become transport interchanges. In order to make this development possible, we consider that there are exceptional circumstances to remove them from the Green Belt and allocate them as transport interchanges.
We have reviewed Housing Development Boundaries of villages in the Green Belt, to become infill boundaries, and have defined new infill boundaries at appropriate villages which currently have no set boundaries.
We are proposing the following policy changes, which aim to rebalance our approach to travel and transport:
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Ensuring that sustainable transport modes are considered first in looking at the location and design of new development
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Embedding the principles of Liveable Neighbourhoods
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Requiring development to enhance, rather than just maintain, recreational or active travel routes
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Changing the standards we apply to parking provision and design
We are supplementing the changes to the Local Plan with a consultation on our Supplementary Planning Document on Transport and Development.