A former police traffic depot, independent retail quarters, industrial estates and a rugby ground are among sites being eyed for developments, which could see around 800 homes built in Weston-super-Mare.
Major schemes are already planned for the town centre – with hundreds of homes earmarked for Locking Road and Sunnyside Road car parks, Dolphin Square and the former police station in Walliscote Road – but more could follow as North Somerset Council tries to meet lofty targets set by the Government.
Weston Rugby Club’s Recreation Ground in Sunnyside Road has been earmarked for 163 homes which would be incorporated in its stadium redevelopment, while the old police depot in Winterstoke Road has been brought forward as a possible location for 38 houses.
Up to 39 flats have been proposed for the upper floors of Regent House, which is home to the Job Centre in the High Street, and a site in Royal Parade could accommodate 22 properties.
An industrial estate in Warne Road could yield 208 homes, with 74 more suggested for a scrap yard in Winterstoke Road.
Meadow Street and St James Street, home to many independent businesses, could also be in line for developments of 16 and 34 homes respectively.
The sites are listed in a strategic housing land availability assessment (SHLAA) in the council’s Issues and Options document, which details the challenges facing North Somerset in building the 25,000 homes demanded in the Joint Spatial Plan (JSP).
It is part of the process the council is following to create its local plan, which will tie in with the West of England JSP as a blueprint for housing and infrastructure projects until 2036.
While creating the document, the council gave owners the chance to offer up land available for housing. The authority has reviewed the ideas, discounting unfeasible ones and rating others as likely or less likely to go ahead.
In total, the council feels the suggestions can deliver up to 819 homes in Weston and hundreds more across North Somerset.
Elfan Ap Rees, executive member for strategic planning, said the sites are not necessarily endorsed and may not be developed.
He added: “We are required by Government to carry out this exercise as part of our local plan consultation launched at the beginning of the month, which includes identifying potential housing sites which could be considered in the future.”
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