Approach

A summary of the village approach to options is set out in Table below, these are then be presented as site options in the next section.

Each village with an identified site option has been evaluated using the Department for Transport’s Connectivity Tool, which integrates transport and land use data to produce a national measure of connectivity for any location in England and Wales. This tool assigns each location a grade from A to J, where A indicates the highest level of connectivity within Bath and North East Somerset, and J the lowest.

The assessment is based on the current sustainable transport network and existing land uses such as schools and shops, and does not take into account planned or future improvements. The grading from A to F is not an overall ranking of site options and in deciding which sites are allocated in the Draft Local Plan other sustainability criteria and deliverability factors will also be considered.

Bathampton – Summary

5% Growth	Opportunities	Constraints	Option presented	Rationale
40 dwellings over the Plan Period	High connectivity score Broad range of services & facilities Some primary school capacity identified	The village is surrounded by the Green Belt and lies within a National Landscape. Allocation of greenfield sites would require exceptional circumstances to justify Green Belt release. However, land that may qualify as Grey Belt under the revised NPPF could be considered for development, subject to further assessment. Within indicative extent of the setting of the World Heritage Sites	No	Due to the constraints identified, no site options are proposed. However, opportunities for community-led growth (Pathway 1), including affordable housing through rural exception sites, could be explored.

Batheaston – Summary

5% Growth	Opportunities	Constraints	Option presented	Rationale
63 dwellings over the Plan Period	High connectivity score Broad range of services & facilities	The village is surrounded by the Green Belt and lies within a National Landscape. Allocation of greenfield sites would require exceptional circumstances to justify Green Belt release. However, land that may qualify as Grey Belt under the revised NPPF could be considered for development, subject to further assessment. Within indicative extent of the setting of the World Heritage Sites Limited primary school capacity	No	While no suitable sites have been identified within Batheaston itself due to significant constraints, adjoining land within Bathford parish—functionally part of the wider Batheaston settlement—may offer opportunities for mixed-use or economic development. These will be considered under Bathford’s growth strategy.

Bathford – Summary

5% Growth	Opportunities	Constraints	Option presented	Rationale
40 dwellings over the Plan Period	High connectivity score Moderate range of services & facilities Some primary school capacity identified	The village is surrounded by the Green Belt and lies within a National Landscape. Allocation of greenfield sites would require exceptional circumstances to justify Green Belt release. However, land that may qualify as Grey Belt under the revised NPPF could be considered for development, subject to further assessment. Within indicative extent of the setting of the World Heritage Site	Yes	Opportunities for development have been identified on the edge of the village, including land along Box Road that may be suitable for mixed-use or economic development. Smaller sites within Bathford are also being considered. Some of this land adjoins Batheaston and may contribute to meeting wider settlement needs.

Bishop Sutton – Summary

5% Growth	Opportunities	Constraints	Option presented	Rationale
33 dwellings over the Plan Period	Moderate range of services & facilities Some primary school capacity identified	Low connectivity score Village surrounded by the Mendip Hills National Landscape	Yes	Working with the Parish and a local landowner, new land has been promoted to the west of the village, including an extension to Westway Business Park and new housing. If a longer-term view is taken, this could unlock access to constrained HELAA sites around Cappards Road and Stitching Shord Lane. A larger, potentially phased option is therefore being presented through this consultation, while noting constraints in terms of the Mendip Hills National Landscape, transport connectivity and agricultural land.

Chew Magna – Summary

5% Growth	Opportunities	Constraints	Option presented	Rationale
28 dwellings over the Plan Period	Broad range of services & facilities	Low connectivity score The village is washed over by the Green Belt. Development is generally limited to infill and redevelopment of previously developed land. Under the revised NPPF, land that meets the definition of Grey Belt may offer limited opportunities for development, subject to assessment. Limited primary school capacity	Yes	A site to the west of the village, comprising abandoned tennis courts off Dark Lane and located between the two infill boundaries, is being considered for development. The site may offer a suitable opportunity for proportionate growth, subject to further assessment of its landscape impact and planning context.

Chew Stoke – Summary

5% Growth	Opportunities	Constraints	Option presented	Rationale
21 dwellings over the Plan Period	Moderate range of services & facilities	Low connectivity score The village is washed over by the Green Belt. Development is generally limited to infill and redevelopment of previously developed land. Under the revised NPPF, land that meets the definition of Grey Belt may offer limited opportunities for development, subject to assessment. Limited primary school capacity	Yes	A site to the north of the village is being considered for development. Although the land is classified as Grade 1 agricultural, it is viewed as a more sustainable location due to its proximity to the primary/secondary school, doctor’s surgery, and bus stops. Further assessment of the agricultural land quality will be required, but the potential loss is expected to be minimal.

Clutton – Summary

5% Growth	Opportunities	Constraints	Option presented	Rationale
25 dwellings over the Plan Period	Moderate connectivity score Some primary school capacity identified	Limited range of services & facilities The northern edge of the village is in the Green Belt	Yes	Land to the west of the A37 is being considered for development, reflecting Clutton’s strategic location along this corridor and the direction of growth supported by the Neighbourhood Plan. Initial growth would be proportionate to the size of the village, with potential for further phases. This could support delivery of the permitted farm shop and wider development opportunities.

Corston – Summary

5% Growth	Opportunities	Constraints	Option presented	Rationale
11 dwellings over the Plan Period	Moderate connectivity score	Limited range of services & facilities Within indicative extent of the setting of the World Heritage Sites No primary school The village is washed over by the Green Belt. Development is generally limited to infill and redevelopment of previously developed land. Under the revised NPPF, land that meets the definition of Grey Belt may offer limited opportunities for development, subject to assessment.	No	Due to the constraints identified and the absence of a primary school, no site options are proposed. However, community-led opportunities (Pathway 1), including specialist or affordable housing, could be explored to meet local needs.

Freshford – Summary

5% Growth	Opportunities	Constraints	Option presented	Rationale
15 dwellings over the Plan Period	High connectivity score Moderate range of services & facilities	Limited primary school capacity The village is washed over by the Green Belt. Development is generally limited to infill and redevelopment of previously developed land. Under the revised NPPF, land that meets the definition of Grey Belt may offer limited opportunities for development, subject to assessment. Village within the Cotswolds National Landscape	No	Due to the constraints identified, including limited primary school capacity and location within the Cotswolds National Landscape, no site options are proposed. However, community-led opportunities (Pathway 1), including affordable or specialist housing, could be explored to support local needs.

Farmborough – Summary

5% Growth	Opportunities	Constraints	Option presented	Rationale
28 dwellings over the Plan Period	Moderate connectivity score Moderate range of services & facilities Some primary school capacity identified	The village is inset from the Green Belt. Allocation of greenfield sites would typically require exceptional circumstances to justify Green Belt release. However, under the revised NPPF, land that meets the definition of Grey Belt could be considered as a first priority for release for development, subject to further assessment.	Yes	Sites to the south of the village, accessed from Timsbury Road, are being considered for proportionate growth. A further phase of development may also be appropriate, subject to assessment, to support wider community needs and infrastructure.

High Littleton and Hallatrow – Summary

5% Growth	Opportunities	Constraints	Option presented	Rationale
45 dwellings over the Plan Period	Moderate connectivity score Moderate range of services & facilities	The North West, North and North East edges of High Littleton village are surrounded by the Green Belt. Limited primary school capacity	Yes	Due to the high landscape sensitivity around High Littleton, only limited options have been identified. However, there is potential for smaller-scale growth in Hallatrow, which may offer a more appropriate location for proportionate development, subject to further assessment.

Pensford – Summary

5% Growth	Opportunities	Constraints	Option presented	Rationale
25 dwellings over the Plan Period	Moderate range of services & facilities	Low connectivity score The village is washed over by the Green Belt. Development is generally limited to infill and redevelopment of previously developed land. Under the revised NPPF, land that meets the definition of Grey Belt may offer limited opportunities for release for development, subject to assessment. Limited primary school capacity	No	Due to the constraints identified, no site options are proposed. However, opportunities for community-led growth (Pathway 1), including affordable housing through rural exception sites, could be explored.

Temple Cloud – Summary

5% Growth	Opportunities	Constraints	Option presented	Rationale
30 dwellings over the Plan Period	Moderate connectivity score Broad range of services & facilities Some primary school capacity identified	Air Quality Management Area	Yes	As a key location on the A37, the council considers growth beyond 5% could be appropriate. However, any development must carefully address constraints.

Timsbury – Summary

5% Growth	Opportunities	Constraints	Option presented	Rationale
59 dwellings over the Plan Period	Moderate connectivity score Broad range of services & facilities Some primary school capacity identified	The northern edge of the village is in the Green Belt	Yes	In addition to the existing Placemaking Plan allocation to the east of the village, new sites to the west and centre of Timsbury have been promoted. It is considered appropriate to test development in all three locations to assess the potential for a comprehensive growth strategy in the village.