New homes' benefits 'outweigh harm', inspector says

“The council cannot at the present time meet its housing need and it has limited opportunities to provide for such growth.

“Also, there is no evidence that integration cannot satisfactorily be achieved.

“The Housing Register also indicates that there are many families in need of a home at the present time and there is little reason to believe that this situation is going to improve.

“Indeed, the council’s website indicates that there is a high demand for social housing in the district and a shortage of properties.

“It states that many applicants will never receive an offer of housing.”

The inspector said the loss of 25 hectares of “best and most versatile” agricultural land would be “harmful” but that the amount of land was relatively small.

She wrote: “In my judgement these adverse impacts would not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the very substantial benefits.”

Her report said the council did not have a five-year supply of land to meet its housing needs.

It said: “I conclude that the appeal site has the potential to become a relatively accessible location, where new residents will have the option to choose a number of sustainable travel opportunities rather than rely on car journeys for their trips.

“That is not to say that the car will not be used, because that would be unrealistic.

“The important point is that there would be reasonable alternatives available in this case for many journeys.”

She said the scheme would produce “considerable” net gains to the site’s biodiversity.

Her report said: “There is local concern that Thornbury has been subject to a large amount of development in a relatively short period and that it has been difficult to absorb such rapid growth into the existing community.

“Whilst I understand this concern, it is difficult to see how it could be a reason for objecting to the scheme.

By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service

EXTRA staff are being moved into Eastwood Park women’s prison after a damning inspection report found some cells were “appalling and dilapidated”, with walls splattered with blood.

Inspectors said acute staff shortages at the jail near Falfield meant prisoners were spending “far too little time” out of their cells.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor, who lead the inspection team, said: "No prisoner should be held in such conditions, let alone women who were acutely unwell and in great distress."

He said one experienced inspector described the treatment and conditions of women in one houseblock as the worst that he had ever seen.

Eastwood Park houses 348 adult female prisoners and young offenders, ranging from women on remand awaiting trial to inmates serving indeterminate or life sentences.

The 11-day unannounced inspection in October last year was carried out by a team of 21 inspectors, including