Old Tennis Court

Chew Magna is a key service centre for the surrounding rural area. It has a broad range of services and facilities, including a primary school, shops, pubs, restaurants, and community spaces. The village is well-connected to nearby settlements but has a low connectivity score due to limited public transport options and its distance from major employment centres.

Chew Magna is washed over by the Green Belt, which restricts most new development to infill or redevelopment of previously developed land. However, the revised NPPF introduces the concept of “Grey Belt,” which may allow for limited development on underutilised or previously developed land, subject to assessment.

The site to the west of Chew Magna, comprising previously developed land (including disused tennis courts) between two infill boundaries, is being considered for development. The village is washed over by the Green Belt, and any allocation would require the site to be removed from the Green Belt through the local plan, supported by a Green Belt review and demonstration of exceptional circumstances.

The site has been identified as potentially meeting the definition of Grey Belt under the revised NPPF and a potential priority for release. This will be subject to further assessment in preparing the Draft Local Plan. The site could accommodate approximately 25–30 homes, with a focus on delivering affordable housing to meet local needs. Development would need to be sensitively designed to reflect the village’s character and landscape setting, as defined in the Chew Valley Neighbourhood Plan.

Connectivity scores shown in the site option plan below are based on the Department for Transport’s A–J grading, where A is the highest within B&NES.