Options for updating the Local Plan to address urgent issues in Bath and North East Somerset are the focus of a series of webinars at which residents are invited to have their say.

Bath & North East Somerset Council launched a consultation on the Local Plan Partial Update earlier this month ahead of a full review of the Plan in 2023, to respond to critical issues including the climate and ecological emergencies, housing land supply and Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs).

The options for addressing these key issues will be explored in the series of three webinars, the first of which took place on Tuesday (January 26), but can be viewed again online.

The Local Plan is the basis for determining planning applications in the district and decides which sites are allocated for development and the requirements that development should meet. It is also vital in helping Bath & North East Somerset Council meet its climate and ecological emergency goals.

Councillor Dine Romero, council Leader, alongside cabinet member for Planning, Councillor Tim Ball, will host a panel discussion at each webinar setting out the context of the policies and the possible approaches. People are invited to register in advance on Zoom and there will be the opportunity to ask questions.

The details of each event, which can also be viewed afterwards on the council’s YouTube channel, are as follows:

Tuesday 26th January at 12pm: Policy focus: HMOs

Tuesday 2nd February at 12pm: Policy focus: Housing Supply

Thursday 4th February at 12.30pm: Policy focus: Climate Emergency, zero carbon buildings & renewable energy

Councillor Tim Ball said: “These events are an important part of our options consultation for the partial update to our Local Plan as they will give residents and stakeholders the chance to comment on how we could address some of the critical planning issues facing our area.

“Planning policy affects us all because it shapes the places in which we live, work and spend our leisure time now and in the future. We really do need to hear from you, so please join us at the webinars – and don’t forget to have your say in the consultation.”

View the Local Plan Partial Update consultation page. Comments are welcomed before February 18.

Comments should be submitted via the consultation portal, and they can also be submitted by email at [email protected] or in writing to: Local Plan Consultation, Bath & North East Somerset Council, Manvers Street, Bath, BA1 1JG.

The Development Plan in Bath & North East Somerset primarily comprises the Core Strategy (adopted in 2014) and the Placemaking Plan (adopted in 2017), both of which cover a plan period from 2011 to 2029. A full review of the Local Plan will be undertaken alongside the West of England Combined Authority’s Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) which is scheduled for publication in 2023.

The council has a dedicated webinars webpage for all of its online events.