The leaders of all three political groups on South Gloucestershire Council have written jointly to the Secretary of State for Housing, calling for urgent reform of historical planning consents.
The 1957 and 1958 planning consents allow developers to bypass modern planning rules in Pilning and Severn Beach.
According to the councillors, this means industrial ‘MegaShed’ developments can proceed without current environmental, transport or design standards, and without contributions towards infrastructure through Section 106 or the Community Infrastructure Levy.
Councillors Maggie Tyrell, Ian Boulton and Liz Brennan said the council is effectively forced to rubber-stamp applications it has no power to influence, leaving residents with little say over developments that affect their communities.
‘Residents feel that development is being imposed without appropriate safeguards or benefits, and Members across all political groups have expressed consistent concern at Planning Committee about the scale and form of development that cannot be properly moderated under the existing consents,’ the letter reads.
‘This is not a case of opposition to growth, but a shared concern that the current framework prevents reasonable, balanced decision-making.’
The councillors ask ministers to bring forward legislation updating the outdated consents and to establish a mechanism for regularising them under modern planning standards.
