B&NES Council publishes Draft Local Plan, including allocations for Saltford

UPDATE 18 SEPT: B&NES Council’s Draft Local Plan consultation opened today and will close on 30 October. SPC will create an article to help raise resident awareness and to encourage direct participation in due course.

SPC will resolve its response to the public consultation at its Tuesday 6 October meeting, residents are welcome to attend. Details will be made available on our ‘Meetings – Agendas and Minutes‘ page and noticeboard in advance.

Information about how residents can engage with the consultation will be shared at the Keynsham Area Forum on 24 September – details and agenda added below.

To find out SPC’s actions since January 2023, visit our ‘Protecting Saltford’s Green Belt‘ page. SPC’s response to the Draft Local Plan will be published soon after its 6 October meeting. SPC cannot comment on its views about the Draft Local Plan until formally resolved.

Please keep an eye on SPC’s ‘News‘ page and social media for more information.

Original article (2 Sept 2026):

B&NES Council has published its Draft Local Plan today, ahead of its Cabinet meeting next week. The draft identifies two proposed development allocations in Saltford:

• West Saltford (both sides of the A4) – around 960 dwellings.

Image below shows B&NES Council’s concept plan for West Saltford, as taken from the Draft Local Plan

• South Saltford – around 330 dwellings.

Image below shows B&NES Council’s concept plan for South Saltford, taken from the Draft Local Plan.

Together, these proposals in the Draft Local Plan total around 1,290 new dwellings in Saltford.

View the Draft Local Plan at https://democracy.bathnes.gov.uk/…/Public%20reports…

Relevant sections:

• Saltford Village – page 73

• West Saltford – page 78

• South Saltford – page 86

B&NES Council has stated that Cabinet is being asked to approve the Draft Local Plan for a six-week public consultation, expected to begin during the week commencing 14 September. If approved, this will be the final opportunity for residents and stakeholders to comment before the plan is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination. More information can be viewed on the B&NES Council website at: https://newsroom.bathnes.gov.uk/…/plans-new-homes-jobs…

SPC understands that the consultation will be about the ‘soundness’ of the Draft Local Plan. At this stage, Saltford Parish Council cannot comment on the Draft Local Plan until it has formally considered the consultation information at a Full Council meeting.

SPC is expected to have this as an item at its 6 October meeting. Residents are welcome to attend and, time permitting, address the Parish Council. Please keep an eye on SPC’s agendas for details.

B&NES Council, as the local Planning Authority, will publish information on how residents can directly take part in the consultation. Information will also be shared at the Keynsham Area Forum on 24 September at 6:30pm at The Space (above Keynsham Library).

To view SPC’s previous responses to the two B&NES Council Local Plan ‘Options’ consultations – as well as actions relating to protecting Saltford’s Green Belt, view our ‘News’ page and the article titled ‘Protecting Saltford’s Green Belt’.

There have been two B&NES Council Local Plan Options consultations prior to the pending Draft Local Plan consultation. To view SPC’s response to the first Options Consultation in February 2024 view our article at https://www.saltfordparishcouncil.gov.uk/proposals-for…/ and response at https://www.saltfordparishcouncil.gov.uk/…/BaNES-Local… 

To view SPC’s response to the second Options Consultation in November 2025 view our article at https://www.saltfordparishcouncil.gov.uk/bnes-local-plan…/ and response at https://www.saltfordparishcouncil.gov.uk/…/BaNES-Local… .

SPC will aim to keep residents informed as further information about the consultation is made available by B&NES Council.

Find out more at the Keynsham Area Forum – 24 September, 6:30pm (The Space, Keynsham)

Keynsham Area Forum: To find out more, ask questions, and hear directly from B&NES’s Deputy Head of Planning Policy, come along to the Keynsham Area Forum:

 Thursday 24 September 2026

 6:30pm start

 The Community Space (above Keynsham Library), 5 Temple Street, Keynsham, BS31 1HA

The agenda for the next Keynsham Area Forum is copied below. The consultation will run for six weeks, and Saltford Parish Council will consider its response at its meeting on 6 October. To view allocations in Saltford, visit https://www.saltfordparishcouncil.gov.uk/bnes-council…/

 AGENDA: KEYNSHAM AREA FORUM 24 SEPTEMBER

1. Welcome and apologies (5 mins)

Welcome from Cllr Alan Hale (Chair) and Adrian Inker (Vice Chair).

2. Local Plan Briefing (55 mins)

The Deputy Head of Planning Policy, B&NES Council, will attend the meeting to provide a briefing on the Draft Local Plan. The presentation will outline the key proposals within the Draft Local Plan, explain how organisations and individuals can submit their views, and set out the next steps in the process.

Please note that any comments made during this briefing session will not be considered as formal representations and will not influence the Local Plan. To have comments formally considered, organisations and individuals must participate in the official consultation, which opens on Thursday 17 September 2026.

There will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions following the presentation.

Relevant links:

Cabinet papers: https://democracy.bathnes.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx…

Council press release: Plans for new homes, jobs and infrastructure in B&NES go before cabinet https://newsroom.bathnes.gov.uk/…/plans-new-homes-jobs…

Cabinet recording: https://bathnes.public-i.tv/…/webcast_interactive/1111556 https://www.youtube.com/live/cor0p2fkDE4…

Direct link to recording of Councillor McCabe’s speech: https://www.youtube.com/live/cor0p2fkDE4…

3. Date of next meeting

The next meeting is currently scheduled for 23 November 2026 at 6:30 pm. Forum members are asked to decide whether they would prefer the meeting to be held online or in person.

4. Closing Summary

Cllr Alan Hale (Chair) will close the meeting.

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For more information about the Keynsham Area Forum, visit https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/keynsham-area-forum