Article contents:
B&NES Council publishes ‘Options’ papers- What are the ‘Options’ for Saltford?
- How many dwellings are proposed in options for Saltford?
- West Saltford – North of the A4
- West Saltford – South of the A4
- South Saltford
- Context – 2024 B&NES Council Local Plan Options Consultation
- Context – Re-set Local Plan following new Government targets, and what it means for Saltford
- Next (and final) B&NES Council Local Plan Options Consultation – opens October 2025
- When will SPC resolve its response to the next Local Plan Options consultation?
- How can residents participate in the next Local Plan Options consultation?
- Key dates for Saltford residents
- B&NES Ward Councillor hosted Public Meeting – 4 October 2025, 7.15pm, Saltford Hall
- What happens next in the Local Plan process after the 2025 Options consultation?
- Find out more about SPC’s actions relating to the Local Plan and protecting our Green Belt
- B&NES Council’s press release 18/09/25: ‘Council proposes Local Plan Options consultation on the future growth of B&NES’
B&NES Council publishes ‘Options’ papers
B&NES Council has today shared papers that show ‘options’ for development in Saltford. This will be consulted on by B&NES Council in a public consultation which opens on 3 October, and which will run for six weeks (until 14 November 2025).
The B&NES Council Local Plan options consultation will be available at https://bathnesplaces.co.uk/localplan/ , Saltford residents are encouraged to respond once the consultation opens.
Following responses received to the next Local Plan Options Consultation, B&NES Council will create a draft Local Plan. This will be formally submitted to the Government for examination. B&NES Council expects to adopt its new Local Plan in Autumn 2027.
Please view B&NES Council’s Public Reports Pack for the upcoming special B&NES Council Cabinet meeting. The B&NES Council Public Reports Pack includes the meeting agenda and the ‘Local Plan Options Document – Cabinet Dispatch’ , the document which details ‘options’ for Saltford and a number of other ‘options’ in the B&NES area including near Saltford.
This document was published on the B&NES Council Cabinet meeting page at midday today (17 September), please view the B&NES Council website for information about the Thursday 25 September 2025 special Cabinet meeting. (B&NES Cabinet is being asked to approve the Local Plan Options report to go out for a six-week public consultation).
There are three ‘options’ areas detailed for Saltford in the ‘Local Plan Options Document – Cabinet dispatch’ (hereafter referred to as the ‘document’ for ease) published, as follows:
Saltford residents may be particularly interested in viewing Section 6 p.160 (bottom centre page number) of the document titled ‘Bath to Bristol Corridor’.
Within Section 6, ‘Saltford Village Site Options’ can be viewed from p.211 in the document (centre page number, follows section 6.105).
For reference when viewing the document, ‘Saltford Village’ is located in the sub-area of ‘Bristol to Bath Corridor’. Residents may also be interested in other sections of the document (e.g. those apart from Section 6) that include ‘Bristol to Bath Corridor’.
As well as ‘options’ for Saltford, residents can view in the document ‘options’ for development presented in other areas of B&NES. These include locations close to Saltford e.g. at Keynsham and ‘West of Bath’ options adjacent to Newton St Loe / Twerton Fork.
What are the ‘Options’ for Saltford?
For a map of all ‘options’ land parcels in Saltford, in the context of those proposed nearby at Hicks Gate and Keynsham, please view Map 16 on p.180 (centre page number) in the document, as a PDF here, and as shown below:
Map 16 – All land parcels in Hicks Gate, Keynsham and Saltford Village p.180 (follows 6.66)
The map shows three ‘options’ for Saltford, with more detail below, titled:
(SPC notes that ‘Options’ on Map 16 are labelled A-F, with Saltford ‘options’ marked as C, B & B, and will seek clarification from B&NES on this).
How many dwellings are proposed in options for Saltford?
The figures for the above ‘options’ are shown as follows on p.211 of the document (sections in blue format are new to the 2025 options):
In the 2024 Options Consultation, up to 1,300 dwellings were proposed at ‘South Saltford’ and ‘West Saltford’ in total.
Based on the Location Option table (above), if adding up the maximum for each of the three options in Saltford, would total 1,650 dwellings.
Please view the article section below titled ‘Context – Re-set Local Plan following new Government targets, and what it means for Saltford’ for more detail on why the B&NES Council re-set Local Plan presents more ‘Options’ locations and in some instances, ‘and ‘Options’ presented in the 2024 consultation but with higher dwelling numbers included.
West Saltford – North of the A4
The ‘West Saltford – North of the A4‘ option is new, and includes the option for 300-350 dwellings.
Please view p. 217 of the document for a map of ‘West Saltford – North of the A4’ and further information (a JPEG of the map below can be viewed here).
Further information in the document includes the context of the option, as well as a table detailing ‘Opportunities’, ‘Constraints’, ‘Mitigation required’, and ‘Further evidence required’.
Figure 25 – West Saltford North of the A4 p.217
West Saltford – South of the A4
The ‘West Saltford – South of the A4‘ option is located at a similar geographical area as included in the 2024 Local Plan Options Consultation for ‘West Saltford’, and includes the option for 650-850 dwellings.
This is an increase from the 500 dwellings as included in the 2024 Local Plan Options Consultation.
Please view p.214 (centre page number) of the document (follows paragraph 6.116), for more information about the option at this location as in the map below (map also available in a PDF here).
Further information in the document includes the context of the option, as well as a table detailing ‘Opportunities’, ‘Constraints’, ‘Mitigation required’, and ‘Further evidence required’.
Figure 24 – West Saltford South of A4 p.214
South Saltford
The ‘South Saltford‘ option is located at a similar geographical area as included in the 2024 Local Plan Options Consultation for ‘South Saltford’, and includes the option for 350-450 dwellings.
In the 2024 Local Plan Options Consultation, 800 dwellings were proposed at ‘South Saltford’.
Please view p. 220 (centre page number) in the document for more information about the option at this location (map below, PDF version here).
Further information in the document includes the context of the option, as well as a table detailing ‘Opportunities’, ‘Constraints’, ‘Mitigation required’, and ‘Further evidence required’.
Figure 27 – South Saltford p.220
Context – 2024 B&NES Council Local Plan Options Consultation
Residents will recall that information in the last set of B&NES Local Plan ‘options’ papers – as published in early 2024 – that these included options for ‘West Saltford’ (500 houses) & ‘South Saltford’ (800 houses). A B&NES Council public consultation, the first Local Plan Options Consultation, followed soon after. This consultation received a high number of responses from Saltford residents, with thanks to everyone who engaged with it.
Comments submitted by residents in the 2024 consultation do not need to be resubmitted in 2025 consultation responses (there is a typographical error in paragraph 4.55, p. 71) of the Options document – clarification has since been sought, with thanks to Ward Cllr Duncan Hounsell for raising). Please view the section below titled ‘How can residents participate in the next Local Plan Options consultation?’ for further information on this.
For SPC’s robust and comprehensive response to the first Local Plan Options consultation, please view a copy of SPC’s resolved response in the document here.
Further information about SPC’s response to the first Local Plan Options Consultation can be found in SPC’s article dated 6 March 2024: ‘SPC ‘strongly objects’ to B&NES Council’s Local Plan Options Consultation proposals for 1,300 residences at West Saltford & South Saltford’.
For details about SPC’s wider efforts to protect Saltford’s Green Belt, please view our article ‘Protecting Saltford’s Green Belt’. Specific information relating to the first Local Plan Options Consultation can be found in the timeline for 2024.
Context – Re-set Local Plan following new Government targets, and what it means for Saltford
National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) changes: The NPPF is the Government’s main document guiding how planning decisions are made across England. It sets out what local councils – including B&NES Council, which is the planning authority for Saltford – must consider when planning for housing, transport, nature, the environment, and infrastructure. B&NES Council must follow the NPPF when preparing its Local Plan (and when making decisions on planning applications). The aim is to make sure that any development is well-designed, sustainable, and meets the needs of communities.
Changes to National Planning rules in 2024: Earlier in 2024, under the previous Government, B&NES Council held its first Local Plan Options Consultation. This was based on the version of the NPPF that existed at that time. However, after the new Government was elected in summer 2024, it launched a review of national planning policy. This led to several important changes, with a major NPPF update published in December 2024.
What do these changes mean for Saltford?: One of the biggest changes was the reintroduction of mandatory housing targets. Councils like B&NES must now plan for a higher number of new homes, based on national calculations. They also have to prove they have a five-year supply of land ready for housing development. Because of these new requirements, B&NES Council had to ‘re-set’ its Local Plan, increasing the minimum number of homes it must plan for. The Council is now running a new Options Consultation based on this re-set plan. These changes mean local councils are expected to plan for more housing, more quickly. For areas like Saltford, this could mean more development in the years ahead. However, the updated NPPF also puts more focus on making sure that infrastructure and services, like transport and green spaces, are properly considered and delivered alongside new homes. That’s why transport and infrastructure are included in the documents published ahead of the latest B&NES Cabinet meeting.
New policy concept – ‘Grey Belt’: In the latest consultation, three site options in Saltford have been identified for possible development – all of them on the village’s Green Belt. SPC has been working since January 2023 to achieve greater protection for Saltford’s Green Belt, Please view SPC’s ‘Protecting Saltford’s Green Belt‘ page for more information. A new national policy concept, called the ‘Grey Belt’, was introduced in the updated NPPF. This refers to parts of the Green Belt that may no longer fully meet the criteria for protection and could, under strict conditions, be released for development. These areas can only be considered if any development includes affordable homes, good design, infrastructure, and green space. However, SPC has resolved in its view that no Green Belt land in Saltford qualifies as ‘Grey Belt’. ‘Green Belt’ is mentioned in the document, including in sections 4.19 and 9.118, which may be of interest to residents. The document also has a section on whether any Green Belt in Saltford meets the assessment for ‘Grey Belt’ on p.197.
Next (and final) B&NES Council Local Plan Options Consultation – opens October 2025
Following B&NES Council’s publication of ‘Options’ papers today (17 September 2025), B&NES Council’s Cabinet will meet on 25 September to decide whether these will form the basis of the next (and final) B&NES Council Local Plan Options Consultation. Please find information about the special B&NES Council Cabinet meeting here on the B&NES Council website.
SPC has been informed that B&NES Council’s next Local Plan Options Consultation is due to open on Friday 3 October and close on Friday 14 November.
When will SPC resolve its response to the next Local Plan Options consultation?
As it stands, SPC will look to respond to the B&NES Council Local Plan Options Consultation at its 4 November 2025 meeting.
Members of the public are welcome to attend. Meeting details will be added to SPC’s ‘Meetings – Agendas and Minutes‘ page (and the noticeboard) nearer the time.
To add, although SPC has been actively engaging with B&NES Council with regards to matters relating to the Local Plan, the only information that SPC has about the contents of the Local Plan Options Consultation is the information presented in the Agenda Reports Pack (e.g. the document linked throughout this article) as published on the B&NES Cabinet meeting webpage today.
SPC will only become aware of the contents of the Local Plan Options Consultation 2025 at the same time as everyone else, when the consultation opens on Friday 3 October.
In light of the access and usability issues experienced during the previous Local Plan consultation, SPC has encouraged B&NES Council to ensure that the upcoming (and final) consultation is user-friendly and that all information is clearly accessible.
Further information about the B&NES Council Local Plan is available on the B&NES Council website. Please view their ‘The Local Plan‘ page.
How can residents participate in the next Local Plan Options consultation?
Residents are encouraged to respond to B&NES Council’s Local Plan Options Consultation once launched on 3 October 2025. Residents can respond to the online consultation via https://bathnesplaces.co.uk . If there are other ways to respond to the consultation, SPC will look to share this information.
SPC will share any further information about the consultation once it is available from B&NES Council. Please view SPC’s social media in the first instance, followed by the ‘News’ section of SPC’s website. Recent social media posts can be viewed on the side-bar of our website.
It is likely that SPC will create a web article about the consultation – staff resource permitting – for resident awareness the week commencing 6 October.
B&NES Council has stated ahead of 2025 options consultation responses that some of the location options to be included in the 2025 consultation were also presented in the Spring 2024 Options Document. B&NES Council has shared that any comments made previously on these options by members of the public will still be taken into account by B&NES Council and do not need to be submitted again. However, if residents wish to make further comments in light of new information now available, these would be welcomed in responses to the 2025 options consultation. B&NES Council has added that to support residents in reviewing the proposals, any new or updated site options are clearly marked within the place-based chapters of the consultation document (as formatted in blue). This information follows awareness of a typographical error in the document as published on 17 September, paragraph 4.55 (page 71).
Please note, SPC next meets on Tuesday 7 October, however the Local Plan Options Consultation will not be an agenda item to resolve at the meeting. Should residents wish to address the Parish Council prior to it resolving its response, they are welcome to do so at SPC’s November meeting, when SPC’s response to the Local Plan Options Consultation will be an item to resolve.
Key dates for Saltford residents
Please find below key dates for Saltford residents as associated with the upcoming consultation.
Should B&NES Council inform SPC when there will be specific engagement in Saltford e.g. a drop-in session at Saltford Hall – as requested by SPC to B&NES Council, this information will be shared by SPC.
It is noted that in Appendix 1 of the document, (p.467) that there will be a ‘Consultation Roadshow’, and that the full roadshow programme and details of events will be published by B&NES Council ahead of 3rd October. The Consultation Roadshow for Saltford (and Keynsham, Whitchurch and Hicks Gate) shows as being scheduled for 13-15 October 2025. SPC will share information on this once received.
Key dates (correct at time of publication):
- 17 September – B&NES Council to publish Cabinet papers outlining updated Local Plan ‘Options’.
- 25 September – Special B&NES Council Cabinet meeting to consider the documents and agree for consultation to go ahead (meeting details and documents will be available on the B&NES website).
- 3 October – The second Local Plan Options Consultation officially due to open (consultation period runs for six weeks). Information at https://bathnesplaces.co.uk/localplan/
- 4 October – Public Meeting at Saltford Hall, 7.15pm, led by B&NES Ward Councillor Duncan Hounsell, to share information about the consultation. Representatives of SPC will be in the audience. Details below.
- 7 October – SPC October meeting – B&NES Cabinet Members have been invited to address the Council and receive Q&As from SPC Cllrs. Should they be able to attend, this will be clearly stated on SPC’s October agenda.
- 13-15 October TBC – B&NES Council ‘Consultation Roadshow’. See above, SPC awaits further detail.
- 4 November – Saltford Parish Council to consider and agree its response to the consultation at its Full Council meeting. Public welcome.
- 14 November – Final day of the second Local Plan Options Consultation.
B&NES Ward Councillor hosted Public Meeting – Saturday 4 October 2025, 7.15pm, Saltford Hall
Saltford B&NES Ward Cllr Duncan Hounsell has posted about a Public Meeting he is hosting to share information on the Local Plan (2025-2043) Options for housing development – details as follows:
Saturday 4th October 
7:15pm start 
Saltford Hall
Cllr Duncan Hounsell has shared background information including: The Government has set B&NES a mandatory target of 28,000 dwellings over the plan period; B&NES planning officers have published a range of possible housing locations – these are not decisions or B&NES Council policy (or policy of any political grouping); and, A public consultation runs from 3 Oct to 14 Nov – this is not a referendum, but an opportunity to provide planning-based comments.
Please note – the Public Meeting is not a SPC organised event, and any queries about the meeting need to be directed to B&NES Ward Councillor Duncan Hounsell (please find B&NES Ward Councillor contact details are on the ‘Your Councillors‘ page on the B&NES Council website).
Some SPC members plan to attend as part of the audience, and look forward to hearing the information shared. SPC’s Chair was invited to be on the panel but unfortunately due to external demands on their time was unable to attend.
SPC’s article has been referred to in Cllr Hounsell’s post as an ‘excellent source of information’ ahead of the meeting.
What happens next in the Local Plan process after the 2025 Options consultation?
To view how this next consultation fits in with B&NES Council’s own timeline for the next Local Plan, please view their page titled ‘Emerging Local Plan development timeline’.
Please also view p.22 of the document for under the title ‘Preparation of the Local Plan’.
After the next and final public consultation, B&NES Council will begin preparing the Draft Local Plan. As part of this stage, the Council also plans to carry out additional engagement with key stakeholders. However, Saltford Parish Council (SPC) is not yet aware of what this engagement will involve or how it will be carried out.
Once the Draft Plan is complete, it will be formally submitted to the Government, along with all the supporting evidence. At that point, an independent Planning Inspector will be appointed to assess the plan’s “soundness” — meaning whether it meets legal and policy requirements and whether it has been properly prepared.
The Inspector will hold Examination hearings, where individuals, groups, and organisations can present evidence or comment on key issues. These hearings are open to anyone who made a submission during the Draft Plan consultation.
In summer 2027, the Inspector is expected to publish their final report with recommendations. If the plan is approved, B&NES Council is likely to adopt the new Local Plan in autumn 2027 at a full council meeting.
Find out more about SPC’s actions relating to the Local Plan and protecting our Green Belt
For the past year, SPC has been discussing landscape protection in Saltford (see minutes, as linked above – usually noted under ‘Planning Matters’).
Saltford Parish Council first sought landscape designation protection for ‘Saltford South’ in January 2023.
A timeline detailing SPC’s actions since January 2023, including papers and articles produced by SPC, can be viewed on our ‘Protecting Saltford’s Green Belt’ page.
PLEASE NOTE: This article has been prepared quickly to help raise early awareness of the information contained in the published papers for Saltford residents. Updates may be made to improve accuracy or include additional details as they become available – please check back for the latest version.
B&NES Council’s press release 18/09/25: ‘Council proposes Local Plan Options consultation on the future growth of B&NES’
B&NES Council published the following press release on Thursday 16 September. SPC has copied it below, for resident awareness. Please note that the term ‘Council’ as used in the article refers to Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) Council, and not Saltford Parish Council.
Article as follows:
Council proposes Local Plan Options consultation on the future growth of B&NES
Bath & North East Somerset Council today unveiled its response to the Government’s new housing targets and the growth agenda for the next 20 years. Options include bringing housing, transport, business space, infrastructure and public spaces together to shape better places and create more jobs for the future.
A new Local Plan Options Report is set for public consultation. It outlines how places might change over the next 20 years to provide more of the right homes in the right places and enable economic growth. The report sets out how this growth could be planned for, to create sustainable communities, protect the district’s unique character and address the climate and ecological emergency.
Having consulted last year on our earlier ambitious target of 14,000 new homes over twenty years the council has reset its Local Plan Options Report after the Government almost doubled the target to 27,000 over eighteen years.
Across B&NES, the average house price is around twelve times the average workplace earnings and in Bath it is nineteen. The housing affordability crisis not only affects people’s quality of life; it directly impacts the local economy.
Councillor Matt McCabe, Cabinet Member for Built Environment Built Environment, Housing and Sustainable Development, said: “The challenge from Government is huge. Doubling our housing target is a massive hurdle.
“The main driver for the housing target is the overwhelming need for more affordable housing locally. At the recent B&NES Housing Summit, I heard from young residents facing homelessness despite being in work, and from those unable to access secure tenancies. The first step in agreeing a strategic plan through the Local Plan process is to test the options in a public consultation.
“We understand the concerns of our local communities – especially where past developments failed to deliver much-needed infrastructure. Options are being put forth in places with existing infrastructure or where potential future infrastructure can unlock new areas for housing. I welcome the options set out in the report going before cabinet.
“The decisions we make now will shape our communities for the next 20 years. If the report is approved, it is vital that we gather local evidence. Everyone should be able to share their views on the options before us in a public consultation as the first step in creating our Local Plan 2025 to 2043.”
Cabinet is being asked to approve the Local Plan Options report to go out for a six-week public consultation from October 3 to November 14.
When finally agreed, the statutory Local Plan will guide development and land use across Bath and North East Somerset until 2043, with adoption scheduled for summer 2027.
By having a Local Plan, the council can better facilitate planned high-quality development and infrastructure provision. It can protect what makes B&NES special, including its renowned built and natural environments, while guiding future sustainable growth. Without a Local Plan, speculative development will take place, in less sustainable areas and in an unplanned way, with inadequate infrastructure support.
Options include new homes and facilities in Keynsham and Saltford Village; growth in the Somer Valley supported by major transport improvements; mixed-use development in central Bath; reuse of brownfield and underused sites; and a more flexible approach to village growth where it supports services and sustainability.
The options put forward also raise the sensitive but important question of whether land to the west of Bath could be brought forward to deliver much-needed homes, support jobs and unlock investment. Any development here would need to demonstrate exceptional design quality, landscape sensitivity and clear public benefit. It would be subject to rigorous heritage and environmental assessment.
Councillor Kevin Guy, council leader, added: “Planning is a highly regulated system. The Local Plan Options consultation must test all ‘reasonable alternatives’ for potential development. The options include potential sites which may not be suitable. That’s why we need local knowledge as part of the consultation. We also want to challenge the idea that Bath cannot provide the housing that local people need. We want to prove that Bath can be an exemplar for sustainable development which enhances and protects our heritage. The Local Plan is an opportunity for ambitious, transformational change, but we need to work with partners and residents to manage the process.”
The council’s proposed updates to Planning Obligations guidance prioritises investment in GP surgeries, schools and transport improvements – ensuring that growth is matched with the facilities and services communities need.
If approved at cabinet the Local Plan Options public consultation will run from 3 October to 14 November. Residents will have a range of opportunities to share their views, for example at pop-up events in Bath, Keynsham, Midsomer Norton and rural areas. Targeted outreach to young people, renters and other underrepresented groups and community group briefings and conversations will also take place. Everyone can respond to the online consultation via https://bathnesplaces.co.uk.
Cabinet will also consider a separate report seeking approval for the development of a Movement Strategy aimed at improving travel choices and a consultation on the strategy to run from Tuesday 14 October to Friday 28 November.
The reports to cabinet can be found on the website and the meeting on September 25 can be viewed on the council’s YouTube channel.
END
[As above, all mentions of the ‘council’ in the article above refer to B&NES Council, not SPC]