YATE will not be able to cope with up to 4,200 new houses earmarked for the town, councillors have warned.

As part of the final draft of the Joint Spatial Plan, it has been announced that 2,000 new homes will be built in Yate by 2036.

The Joint Spatial Plan (JSP) is a document produced by the four councils within the West of England Joint Committee – South Gloucestershire, Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, and North Somerset – which sets out where housing development will be located over the next 20 years.

But Cllr Chris Willmore is keen to point out the figure of 2,000 for Yate is in addition to a development of 2,200 houses yet to be built in the town, from the last core plan.

“The public are still thinking it’s 2,000, but it’s actually 4,200 in total,” she said.

“I’m horrified. There simply isn’t the infrastructure to cope with that amount of new housing.”

Cllr Willmore is particularly worried about the town’s road system, which she says is already inadequate for the town’s needs.

“It’s ludicrous, no new roads have been built in the last 20 years and the town’s traffic system is already overwhelmed.

“Basically we can’t cope with this amount of houses and the extra traffic they will generate.

“The second problem is that all these extra people will need somewhere to work, and extra employment land isn’t being released alongside the housing land, so they will have travel to work, which will add the traffic.

“This is one of the biggest towns in the UK without a bypass or a ring road. “So all the traffic has to come through the centre.

“And the public transport is woefully inadequate. “Yate Town Council will be objecting to the proposals and we’ll explain it’s because we simply can’t cope with more houses.”

Claire Young, Liberal Democrat councillor for Westerleigh, is also concerned about development plans for the area, with 1,800 new homes earmarked for Coalpit Heath.

“But this is not a done deal,” she said.

“There is still a chance to have your say, by contributing to the public consultation.”

As the Gazette went to press, a meeting of South Gloucestershire Council was about to start, in which the Joint Spatial Plan was to be voted on.

Assuming each of the four councils in the West of England Joint Committee back the plan, a public consultation on the JSP is due to take place between November 22 and January 10.

Any necessary modifications will then be made, and a final version of the plan will be submitted to Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. If he approves the plan, it will then be adopted by the four authorities.