How do you want your rural communities to look in the future? Are you concerned about the rural environment, economy and food security? Then it's time to respond to NSC's vision for all planning applications and policies up until 2041
If you have responded to previous Local Plan consultations, you need to respond again as this is the 'final version' that NSC wish to implement over the next 15 years from 2026 up until 2041
Full BOB submission and NSC confirmation overview
NSC EMAIL UPDATES 11MAR26
Westminster Hall Debate: Impact of land use change on food security 18 Nov 2025
Video 1hr 30mins and Hansard Transcript (PDF)
"Protecting farmland, resisting unnecessary encroachment on the green belt and supporting farming families are not about nostalgia—far from it; they are practical steps towards a secure and resilient food system. If we get those choices and decisions right, we can deliver the homes we need and safeguard our ability to produce food. If we get them wrong, the consequences will be felt for generations"
Local Plans are essential to protecting our local and national food security as heard in the debate above.
- Robbie Moore MP Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) said, "As a result of the choices that the Government have made over the last 16 or so months, WE ARE, QUITE SIMPLY, IN A FOOD AND FARMING EMERGENCY"
- Bradley Thomas MP said, "I do not dispute the need for more housing in the country ... as a result of choices made by this Government, our housing target has increased by 85% while the housing target in adjacent Birmingham has decreased by more than 30%? Every area has to take its fair share, but does she agree that that is a grossly unfair imbalance?" [NB
- Dame Angela Eagle Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs response, "It is not up to me to take decisions about local planning issues of that kind. THAT IS WHAT LOCAL PLANS ARE FOR." (info)
- NSC state, "National security risks, like food security, are managed through government policy rather than at local authority level."
- NB: CPRE 24 Sept 25 "Our new research reveals that there is enough brownfield land to build 1.4m homes in England, and more than half of these sites already have planning permission (either outline permission or better), meaning they could be built on rapidly" (report). So limited farmland doesn't need to be built on.
- NB not all farmers own land, some are tenant farmers renting land to produce our food. Government;s new Tenant Farming Commissioner states, "In England, 45% of holdings are either wholly tenanted or mixed tenure, and a third of all agricultural land in England is tenanted." DEFRA also indicates that 39% of England’s dairy herd is farmed in the South West.
- Council are selling off publicly owned farmland to presumably pay its debts, forcing farmers off tenanted land. Landowners are being encouraged to sell land or diversify from food production. (26SEP25 and Key Stats)
- Farmer's Weekly, "A record 6,365 agriculture, forestry, and fishing businesses closed in the past year" (25JUL25)
- NSC Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment has confirmed, but not quantified that, "The council does own a small number of smallholdings ranging from single fields of circa 0.6 ha used for grazing up to farms of circa 56.5ha.... a number of these assets have been identified through the Council’s Development Programme as potential future development sites" i.e. sites in the currently proposed Local Plan. (04DEC25)
The image above is taken from a 2023 speech to NSC Executive committee, before North Somerset Council's housing target was increased by 60% in the current consultation. The council's proposed Local Plan policies, e.g. DP53, need to protect farmland and food security much better. (other public presentations to NSC)
North Somerset Council are asking you to comment on whether the plan is sound in 3 areas
- Positively Prepared
- Justified
- Effective
NB The Local Plan has been made under the Planniing and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and that The right to appear or be heard at the Planning Inspector's examination of the proposed Local Plan is limited to those persons who make representations seeking a change to the plan at this stage. - If you want to be heard in this process, tick the appropriate box in the consultation. See NSC's full explantion below.
SOME KEY LOCAL PLAN PROPOSALS:
- for land use include:
- Poorly protected food production land under DP53 (Best and most versatile land) vs better protected DP52 (Protection of open space and recreation)
- DP8 (Efficient use of land)
- for energy
- DP6 (Net zero construction)
- DP7 (Renewable and low carbon energy)
- Strategic Gaps
- LP10 Strategic Gaps- are defined to help retain the separate identity, character and/or landscape setting of settlements
NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY FRAMEWORK (NPPF)
The Local Plan follows the government's National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), so comments can also be made in relation to this, e.g. Section 11. Making effective use of land Paragraphs 124-128, including
- NPPF para 124 "Strategic policies should set out a clear strategy for accommodating objectively assessed needs, in a way that makes as much use as possible of previously-developed or ‘brownfield’ land"
- Footnote 49 "Except where this would conflict with other policies in this Framework, including causing harm to designated sites of importance for biodiversity" Agricultural land that supports and sustains biodiversity and should therefore be protected under NSC Local Plan.
- NPPF Para 125(b) "Planning policies and decisions should: recognise that some undeveloped land can perform many functions, such as for wildlife, recreation, flood risk mitigation, cooling/shading, carbon storage or food production" including multipurpose grazing land that should be protected by NSC Local Plan.
- NPPF Para 125(c) "give substantial weight to the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements for homes and other identified needs, proposals for which should be approved unless substantial harm would be caused, and support appropriate opportunities to remediate despoiled, degraded, derelict, contaminated or unstable land" NSC has yet to respond to questions and quantify how food production wil be harmed should agriculture land be built on via its proposed Local Plan, e.g. with houses, solar, BNG, nature reserves, etc.
- NPPF Para 125(d) "promote and support the development of under-utilised land and buildings, especially if this would help to meet identified needs for housing where land supply is constrained and available sites could be used more effectively (for example converting space above shops, and building on or above service yards, car parks, lock-ups and railway infrastructure)"
- BEWARE land and property owners - Footnote 50 "As part of this approach, plans and decisions should support efforts to identify and bring back into residential use empty homes and other buildings, supported by the use of compulsory purchase powers where appropriate."
- NPPF Para 126.. BEWARE land and property owners, "... This should include identifying opportunities to facilitate land assembly, supported where necessary by compulsory purchase powers, where this can help to bring more land forward for meeting development needs and/or secure better development outcomes"
- NPPF Para 127 "Planning policies and decisions need to reflect changes in the demand for land." 127(a) "it should, as part of plan updates, reallocate the land for a more deliverable use that can help to address identified needs" NSC has yet to publish its research, quantification and demand for land required to secure its food production in relation to local, regional and national needs (See public address to NSC 10SEP25)
FOOD IS ONE OF GOVERNMENT'S 13 CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SECTORS
Food is one the government's 13 Critical Infrastructure Sectors, HOUSING IS NOT A CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SECTOR 13 CNIs and Overview)
- DEFRA indicates that 39% of England’s dairy herd is farmed in the South West, which will reduce if agricultural farms are closed, or switched to solar farms grazing sheep. The South West also has one of the smallest average farm size, so if small farms are encouraged to diversify away from farming, food production and security will be affected. Removing agriculture from our communities may also significantly impact on the rural economy. In 2020, the total income from farming in England was £3.6bn, with the South West contributing the most, at nearly a fifth. (See public speaking 06 Dec 2023)
PREVIOUS LOCAL PLAN CONCERNS
Concerns, comments and issues can be found at here and here.
LIST OF SOME PUBLIC SPEAKING TO NSC CABINET AND FULL COUNCIL
A list of some public speaking to NSC Cabinet and full council can be found here, including:
- North Somerset Council Executive Meeting 06 Dec 2023 Farming, Food Production and Food Security concerns, along with cost of living and rural strategy.
- Considering the significant risk that a declared climate and nature emergency is stated to pose to our food production, North Somerset Council was asked to immediately call a Food Security Emergency, to prioritise and protect our food production and our health at the highest level 17 July 2024
- Concerns regarding any future WECA regional control over land and food production and a request for Food Security Implications to be added to all NSC reports 16 Sept 25, no response has yet to be received from NSC as of 18 November 2025.
"North Somerset Local Plan 2041: Pre-submission Consultation (Reg 19)
NSC CONSULTATION STATES::
"This consultation is asking for your views on the North Somerset Local Plan 2041: Pre-submission Plan (Reg 19). It is the version that the council proposes to submit to the Secretary of State for independent examination under the provisions of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. Prior to submission to the Secretary of State a period of consultation is undertaken specifically in relation to the ‘soundness’ of the Local Plan.
To be sound a Local Plan should be positively prepared (seeks to meet the area’s objectively assessed needs), justified (founded on a robust and credible evidence base and be the most appropriate strategy when considered against the reasonable alternatives), effective (deliverable, flexible and able to be monitored) and consistent with national policy.
The period to make representations runs for six weeks from Thursday 30 October to 5pm Friday 12 December 2025. Representations received by the council within that period will be forwarded to the inspector for consideration at the examination into the soundness of the plan.
At the close of this consultation period the council will summarise the main issues raised by the representations and submit that summary to the Secretary of State. If the representations raise matters which would suggest changes should be made to the Local Plan before the document is submitted the council will consider the appropriate way to proceed.
The examination is expected to take place in summer 2026. This will be followed by the report of the inspector. If the document is found to be ‘sound’ by the inspector it is expected that the Local Plan will be adopted by the council in December 2026.
Making representations
If you would like to comment on the soundness of the North Somerset Local Plan Pre-submission version please respond online at using the ONLINE DOCUMENT. The closing date is Friday 12 December 2025 at 5pm. All comments received have to be made publicly available.
To contact us about the Local Plan:
Email: planning.policy@n-somerset.gov.uk
Post: Planning Policy Team, Place Directorate, North Somerset Council, Town Hall, Walliscote Grove Road, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1UJ
Further Information is available on www.n-somerset.gov.uk/localplan2041"
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