Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) Green Party are calling for bold, sustainable housing solutions that address the growing affordability crisis in response to the Government’s consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This framework sets vital guidelines for local development plans and planning decisions impacting housing, infrastructure, and environmental protection. Changes to the NPPF will shape the future of our communities for decades to come, making it critical that they are approached with care and foresight.
The housing crisis is deeply felt across B&NES, affecting families, key workers, and individuals who struggle to find affordable homes. While the Labour Government has proposed significant increases in housing targets, including doubling B&NES’ annual target from around 750 to 1,500 homes, this approach ignores the real issue—affordability. The Green Party believes housing targets must be based on local needs and affordability, not arbitrary national targets.
Councillor Joanna Wright, leader of the Green group of BaNES councillors, added:
“The people of B&NES need the right homes in the right places—affordable, sustainable, and designed with local communities in mind. Current government proposals fail to tackle the root causes of the housing crisis. We need housing that works for the people, not just for developers.”
What is the National Planning Policy Framework?
The NPPF is a key document that guides local authorities on planning development. It covers everything from housing and employment to protecting green spaces and ensuring new developments have the infrastructure they need. In addition, councils can create a Local Plan to set out where development will happen, what it will include, and where it should be restricted. Decisions made through the national framework, alongside Local Plans, will define the social, environmental, and economic future of our communities.
Affordable Housing vs. Social Housing
The Greens argue that the current definition of affordable housing—priced at 80% of market rates—is fundamentally flawed, especially in areas like B&NES where house prices are extraordinarily high. For example, if a new development sells homes for £1 million each, the affordable option would still be priced at £800,000, far beyond the reach of many local residents, particularly those on average incomes.
Social housing, on the other hand, is government-owned or managed by not-for-profit organisations, offering genuinely affordable options for those on lower incomes. The Green Party is calling for a significant increase in social housing investment to meet the real needs of residents.
Sustainable Infrastructure and Development
New housing developments must be supported by proper infrastructure—transport links, schools, healthcare, and utilities. The Green Party is committed to ensuring that all new homes are built to the highest standards of sustainability, meeting the Future Homes Standard, and reducing carbon footprints. This includes prioritising active travel options such as cycling and walking, and ensuring public transport is accessible and efficient.
One of the Green Party’s key proposals is to give local councils the power to borrow and invest in building social housing. This would not only meet local needs but also stimulate the local economy by creating jobs and skills in the construction sector. Mixed-tenure developments, where private and social housing exist side by side, have a proven track record of being built more quickly than private developments alone.
Furthermore, the Greens believe the Government should take advantage of pension funds as a potential source of investment to support large-scale council housing projects.
The current planning system allows developers to reduce their affordable housing commitments through viability assessments, ensuring their profit margins remain at 20% or more. The Greens are calling for an end to this practice, which undermines local councils’ efforts to deliver genuinely affordable homes. If a site is viable for development but private developers cannot meet affordability targets, councils should be empowered to take over and build the social housing that communities need.
In addition to building new homes, the Green Party advocates bringing long-term empty homes back into use. Across the UK, over 260,000 homes sit empty, representing a massive, wasted opportunity to alleviate housing pressures without new construction. This should be combined with reforms to the rental market, limits on short-term holiday lets like AirBnBs, and the abolition of Right to Buy, which has decimated social housing stock.
Councillor Sam Ross, Green Councillor for Clutton and Farmborough, commented:
“Housing policy should focus on local needs, not arbitrary national targets. The Greens urge the Government to consider a land-use framework that balances housing with the need to protect agricultural land, natural ecosystems, and sustainable infrastructure. This approach will not only help solve the housing crisis but also safeguard the environment and ensure long-term social and economic resilience.”
The Green Party stands ready to work with local residents and the Government to ensure that we build the right homes in the right places.
Key Green Party Proposals:
- Redefine affordable housing: Affordability must reflect local incomes, not inflated market rates.
- Invest in social housing: Empower councils to borrow and build genuinely affordable homes.
- Prioritise brownfield development: Protect greenbelt land and focus on sustainable, urban regeneration.
- Bring empty homes back into use: Tackle the housing crisis without overbuilding on new land.
- Sustainable infrastructure: Ensure new homes are supported by public transport, schools, and healthcare.
- End developer dominance: Put community needs before developer profits by ending viability assessments.
The housing crisis requires urgent, innovative action, and the Green Party is committed to ensuring that housing in B&NES is both affordable and sustainable for generations to come.