As part of the new Local Plan covering the next 15 years, council officers have put forward a proposed package of sites to accommodate 24,010 new residential homes, and around 70 hectares of land for employment space.
If Cabinet approve the recommendations, officers will move forward in producing a full updated pre-submission (Regulation 19) Local Plan, which will be presented to Cabinet in September before being submitted to the planning inspectorate for independent examination.
North Somerset Council was asked by the new government to find development sites for a total of 23,475 dwellings over their next plan period – 8,175 more than the number proposed by the council in the last version of the Local Plan, which was 15,275 dwellings.
Supporting infrastructure such as roads, employment, schools, medical facilities and public transport will also be considered, though delivery on some of this infrastructure depends on government funding.
Work began on the new North Somerset Local Plan in 2020, and various rounds of consultation were held. The latest was held February to March 2025 which sought views on potential new housing developments after the government gave all councils revised – and in most cases – increased housing targets.
The results of this consultation are available to view at: Regulation 19 – Additional Sites Consultation (February 2025) – North Somerset Council Consultations
Cllr Annemieke Waite, Cabinet Member for Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment at North Somerset Council said: “We always have a fine balancing act ensuring communities have enough good quality housing to meet local need whilst making sure our beautiful countryside and landscapes are protected. There is no doubt that this Local Plan will have a significant effect on communities living and working in the whole council area.
“I’m really pleased so many residents stepped forward to have their say during our latest round of consultation. Thank you. The majority of responses agreed with our strategy to identify most new development in towns, strategic locations and larger villages. This will really help address current and future housing needs whilst also ensuring our communities are sustainable places with good employment and transport links.”
The Cabinet report sets out recommendations for a small number of additional allocations at Portishead, Weston-super-Mare and the wider Weston area including Hutton and Locking.
In addition, four strategic growth locations are proposed to deliver new homes and employment. These are:
• Wolvershill, north of Banwell (3,300 dwellings)
• a new development near South-West Bristol (referred to as Woodspring) with a capacity of 3,730 new dwellings
• Around 3,700 new dwellings on sites in and around Nailsea and Backwell.
• Pill and Easton-in-Gordano – five new sites amounting to a total capacity of 1,100 new dwellings.
The Cabinet report containing fuller detail on the proposed developments can be found at Committee Report NSC.
