POLITICIANS, campaigners and residents from across South Gloucestershire are set to debate controversial housing plans in Thornbury this evening, and the Gazette will be bringing live coverage on the major topics of discussion.

The meeting, organised by Thornbury group TRAPP’D (Thornbury Residents Against Poorly Planned Development) will take place at the Armstrong Hall from 7.15pm, with the West of England Joint Spatial Plan (JSP) the main priority.

The JSP is the regional plan for development, setting out targets until 2036, with the most recent draft outlining 500 more homes for Thornbury, 1,200 for Charfield, 1,800 for Coalpit Heath and 2,000 for Yate.

The controversial 3,000-home Buckover Garden Village has also been featured in the plans, despite considerable opposition from the community, with a survey carried out by Thornbury and Yate MP Luke Hall suggesting 95 per cent of Thornbury residents asked were against the proposals.

As well as setting out the regional plan across South Gloucestershire, Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES) and North Somerset, the JSP will feed directly into South Gloucestershire’s Local Plan.

As one of the politicians invited to attend, South Gloucestershire Council leader Cllr Matthew Riddle is expected to discuss the plan with residents. West of England Combined Authority (WECA) mayor Tim Bowles, who was also invited, will however not be in attendance.

Representatives from a number of residents’ action groups from across the county have also been invited, including VALID from Coalpit Health, Falfield Action Group and the Pucklechurch Junction 18A Action Group.

The Gazette will be running a live blog through the event, check back on www.gazetteseries.co.uk for the latest updates, starting from 7pm.