Very striking front page image and story in todays Bristol Evening Post. This centrally imposed mass house building move (36,500 inside Bristol's boundary and tens of thousands more around the city) makes no sense at all from a sustainability point of view. Even if the houses themselves were all zero carbon, the land take, resources used in construction, and all the consequent impacts of population increase (forecast to be 30% higher by 2030 in and around Bristol) will significantly raise the local footprint.Best science and economics tells us we need to be significantly lowering our social and environmental impacts but massive population increase, massive land take for housing and infrastructure and all the pressures on transport, job availability and so on, make this even more difficult than it already was.
This partly explains the Ashton Vale BRT development and the need to build a transport route prior to urban expansion. It’s good to see the bigger picture. However, I think these fields actually lie within North Somerset so there must be WoEP negotiations here. Ashton Vale has already suffered from bland/corporate housing development. The great thing about Bristol is the way the wedges of our natural environment come right into the heart of the city. It would be a shame to destroy this defining geographic feature.
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Here's the boxed-up lifestyle blurb from the Barratt’s development at Mangotsfield - note the sentence about the Railway Path!
Benefiting from beautiful countryside The Meadows has great appeal for those who enjoy countryside walks and fresh air. In particular the thirteen mile Bristol to Bath cycle route highlights the rural theme. Conveniently located next to the ring road, access is easy to central Bristol and Temple Meads train station is less than ten miles away. Central Bristol is under ...ten miles away offering an abundant variety of bars, restaurants and theatres. With local pubs in Siston village and the surrounding area, The Meadows meets all tastes and requirements. If a countryside setting close to excellent amenities and transport links appeals to you, do not delay! This is an opportunity not to be missed!
There may be a small slice within Bristol's boundaries, though most is in N Somerset.
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