Last summer, after hearing evidence, the independent Planning Inspector evaluating the B&NES Council's Core strategy appeared to want to abandon the inquiry and make the Council start again with the whole process including public consultation. The horrified Council begged for a suspension of the inquiry and promised to repair the deficiencies in their draft strategy within as short a period as possible.

Concerns were raised by the Inspector, primarily about the adequacy of the District's housing land supply. This has forced the Council to undertake further work on the Core Strategy, including a review of the district's housing need. This review is underway and will lead to changes to the Core Strategy due to be considered by B&NES Council in February or March 2013, Councillors were to be told on 22nd January after The Journal went to press.

The other concerns raised by the Inspector relate to the affordable housing policy, clarity on the planning policy for the Recreation Ground, the onerous District Heating Policy adopted by B&NES and the number of pitches required to accommodate the travelling community.

In September 2012 the Council gave officials permission to draw down on up to £100k to fund the additional work required on the Core Strategy. This extra funding is required to cover specialist advice and also to ensure the work is completed in as short a time-frame as possible.

A key aspect of population and housing growth being considered relates to the level of increase in student numbers and the significant level of economic growth planned for the area by the Council.

Economic growth generates jobs and hence additional homes are needed, but not provided in the Core Strategy.

B&NES, being part of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), has committed itself to high growth targets.

Under current policy guidance, new housing development locations should reduce the need to travel and maximise the opportunities to travel by sustainable modes, e.g. cycle, walk and good public transport. Any changes to the Core Strategy should not exacerbate unsustainable commuting patterns, both within the district and across boundaries.

This implies little scope for additional house building in Paulton, Midsomer Norton and Radstock. It also makes the rash of unnticipated housing planning applications in this area look opportunistic.

The revised strategy must be achievable and must facilitate the need to ensure that the district has a five-year supply and appropriate buffer (around 20%).

Whilst the review will take into account the Inspector's concerns about flexibility regarding individual sites, the Council will also need to ensure that there is broad flexibility in the overall strategy and the need for contingency sites in case some cannot be achieved.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes it clear that pursuing sustainable development requires careful attention to viability and costs in plan-making and decision-taking and requires that sites are deliverable. (ED: that would probably exclude Radstock Railway Land which has been subject to successive outline planning applications since 1990 without a single home being built.)

B&NES Council officers have to research and study all this, then get Councillors to agree, which won't be easy because it will mean significantly more building building in unpopular places. Once the Councillors have had there say, the public should have it chance, and then it goes back to the Inspector.

The target is that the Inspector should resume his public hearings in June and publish his report in October and for the Council then to adopt it in December.

That is a lot to do in a short period of time, expect further slippage!

On Saturday, 2nd February, Parish Councils meet with B&NES at Chewton Keynsham to see what scope there is for village development.

Professionals watching the Council from the sidelines believe it is floundering. Too little is being done too slowly for B&NES to have much chance of answering the Inspectors points within the time scale promoted by the Council.

Is one of the problems that B&NES Council is just too small to be able to attract and afford planning officers of the right calibre to get planning right first time, 98% of the time?

Meanwhile, Radstock, Midsomer Norton, Peasedown St John and numerous Parishes across the district will be worried about a frenzy of planning applications from landowners with sites on the green fields on the edges of built-up areas. These landowners are hoping to benefit from the free-for-all created by the rejection of the draft Core Plan.