POLITICIANS at WECA have backed plans to build a 3,000-home new town between Bristol and Keynsham.

The leaders of the three councils and the West of England Mayor Helen Godwin voted to give their unanimous backing to their “masterplan” for the town when they met in Bristol as the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) committee on June 5.

The new town would span the boundary between Bristol and neighbouring Bath and North East Somerset, and would sit just across the river from South Gloucestershire.

Hicks Gate would be a “vibrant, zero-carbon community” built over the Brislington Park and Ride including on fields on either side of the A4, right up to the edge of Keynsham.

Bath and North East Somerset Council leader, Kevin Guy, said: “This is an excellent example of why you need a combined authority; it crosses three areas and only by working together can we draw down the huge sums of money that are needed to create the transport connectivity.”

The plan would see the park and ride relocated to a new multi-storey car park and transport interchange near the Hicks Gate roundabout.

The masterplan document states: “The interchange building will become a major entry and exit point into Bristol and also into the Hicks Gate site.”

Although the development would mean building over green fields, the leader of Green Party-run Bristol City Council Tony Dyer insisted: “The importance of nature, biodiversity, housing affordability, and transport infrastructure comes strongly through on the Hicks Gate masterplan.”

He added: “80 percent or more of our development is on brownfield sites. This is one of the few areas where there is some greenfield areas.”

The town would include between 2,500 and 3,050 new homes, two new primary schools, and a site safeguarded for a secondary school with sixth form. Although the homes themselves would be built by private developers, the masterplan sets out what is expected to be built and what will be permitted by the various council’s planning committees.

WECA’s masterplan will be reflected in the local plans of each council which set out a council’s planning policies and where developments should go.

Ms Godwin said: “By focussing on a joined up approach rather than individual developments we can coordinate access to key infrastructure for residents including nature and green space, core services, homes, and of course transport link.

“This masterplan is therefore key to continuing to work with local councils across boundaries to translate strategic goals into change that residents can see and feel.”

Hicks Gate is one of five new towns which could be built around Bristol to meet the area’s housing need.

Other plans include the new town of Woodspring on the Woodspring Golf Course in North Somerset, the Brabazon new town on the former Filton Airfield which is just over the South Gloucestershire council boundary, a new town near Bristol Parkway (also in South Gloucestershire), and the North Lyde Eco-Tech village in the South Gloucestershire countryside just north of the M4.