Option 1 is preferred for the reasons stated. A flexible approach is required.

The Plan should consider how the Local Planning Authority can undertake the development of affordable housing under its control and ownership.

The current policy should not be changed.

Any revision to settlement boundaries needs to be undertaken in conjunction with the affected parishes, taking account of local issues and requirements. Option 2, would then remove uncertainty from the planning process and avoid unwanted speculative applications.

HIAs should be considered for smaller developments than “large scale” and should be more rigorous particularly in relation to roads and mineral extraction.

The overall policy should remain unchanged. However, the local impact must be more effectively monitored and infrastructure strengthened to facilitate the movement of extracted materials. Rigorous HIAs should be required and operations required to be carbon neutral where this is practicable.

Overall North Somerset seem to have taken a pragmatic approach to meet the required housing numbers by spreading the majority of the housing over 4 areas. All of these proposal will increase traffic levels almost everywhere in NS and particularly around Long Ashton, as many of the new residents will travel to Bristol. There should be more emphasis on improving public transport in advance of the proposed developments.

Yes

Charging points should be considered as part of the essential infrastructure, alongside telephone and broadband internet access.

The scale of the required development is likely to be affected by Brexit and may not be as large as currently anticipated.