Persimmon's Charlton Road scheme reaches committee on 2 September with 45 per cent affordable homes. Keynsham Town Council objects twice; officers recommend approval.
Up to 200 homes on farmland at the south western edge of Keynsham are recommended for approval, against 99 objections and two objections from Keynsham Town Council. The Planning Committee decides on Wednesday 2 September, at 10am at the Guildhall in Bath (agenda, B&NES Planning Committee).
The applicant is Persimmon Homes Severn Valley, jointly with the landowners. Application 25/04952/EOUT covers three agricultural fields west of Charlton Road, opposite existing housing. The officer’s recommendation is “Delegate to PERMIT”, meaning permission is issued once a Section 106 agreement is signed.
What is proposed
- up to 200 homes, in outline, with every matter reserved except access
- 45 per cent affordable housing, up to 90 homes
- a small Class E unit, which could be a shop, service or office
- open space including allotments, play areas and ecological habitat
- about 1 kilometre of upgraded walking and cycling route along Charlton Road towards Caernarvon Road
- a 3 metre shared pedestrian and cycle route along the site frontage, and a new crossing north of Aesop Drive
Only the access is being fixed now. Layout, scale, appearance and landscaping all come back later as reserved matters. The internal road layout is not approved by this decision.
Green Belt land, but “grey belt”
The site is in the Green Belt and outside Keynsham’s housing development boundary. Officers have assessed it against the definition of grey belt in the National Planning Policy Framework, and concluded that it qualifies. The report says the site “is considered to be Grey Belt land and therefore, the proposals represent appropriate development in the Green Belt”.
That classification is what forces the affordable housing figure up. The council’s own policy requires 30 per cent affordable homes on major schemes in Keynsham. Grey belt sites have to meet the Framework’s “Golden Rules”, which set the bar at 45 per cent. The applicant has committed to that, with the council’s preferred split of 75 per cent social rent and 25 per cent shared ownership.
Officers give the affordable homes “very substantial weight”. Two figures sit behind that. As of August 2026 there were 765 households on the HomeSearch register with Keynsham as their first choice of location. And the council can currently demonstrate only 2.5 years of housing land supply, a shortfall planning inspectors have described as “serious” and “severe”.
The response: 99 objections, 8 in support
The council logged 113 contributors: 8 in support, 99 objecting and 6 general comments. Keynsham Town Council objected in February and again in April. Compton Dando Parish Council strongly objects.
Objectors raised:
- inappropriate development in the Green Belt, and loss of openness
- permanent change to the character of this edge of Keynsham
- congestion, speeding and pollution on Charlton Road, and the Whitchurch junction
- full GP surgeries, insufficient school and dentist places
- drainage, with surface water already flooding parts of Charlton Road
- growth in Keynsham being concentrated on the western side of the town
- the site not being in the current Local Plan, and bypassing the Local Plan process
Supporters pointed to the HomeSearch register, the shortage of socially rented homes in Keynsham, and the funding the scheme brings for schools. Several said the affordable housing offer is higher than other developers provide.
The bus money the council asked for, and dropped
The West of England Combined Authority asked for £250,000 a year for five years to support Keynsham bus services. Its concern was that funding for existing services could be withdrawn during the construction period.
The Local Highway Authority scaled that down. It suggested a pro rata figure of £45,454.54 a year for five years, on the basis that a 200-home scheme cannot fund transport interventions for the whole of the South and West Keynsham growth area.
Persimmon pushed back. It asked what the money would deliver beyond the three buses an hour that already serve the site. It also pointed to a June 2026 WECA press release, which said connections offered by the K1 would be protected through the new K2 and the commercial 43 service.
The combined authority provided no further evidence. Officers have dropped the request. The report concludes that “such a contribution is not required” because there is no substantial evidence it is needed to make the development acceptable.
What the developer would pay
The Section 106 agreement would secure:
- 45 per cent affordable housing, and the Class E unit
- public open space, and its long term management
- highway works to and around Charlton Road
- £184,950 towards primary school places
- Early Years contributions at £20,654 per pupil place, and SEND at £98,124 per place, both calculated later
- £18,000 for fire hydrants
- £13,915 towards recruitment and training in construction
- £2,000 towards seating in the local area
- a travel plan bond and monitoring fees
Officers weigh landscape harm as moderate, and heritage harm to the Queen Charlton Conservation Area as limited. They conclude that the adverse effects do not substantially outweigh the benefits.
What it means for you
If permission is granted, nothing gets built quickly. This is an outline consent. Persimmon would have to come back with a reserved matters application covering layout, appearance, scale and landscaping, and the Section 106 has to be signed first.
The parts that are fixed now are the access onto Charlton Road and the active travel works along it. Those are described as a benefit for existing residents as well as new ones, because they improve the walking and cycling route into the centre of Keynsham.
To speak at the meeting, notice must reach Democratic Services by 5pm on Monday 31 August, the bank holiday. Objectors share three minutes, the town council gets three, and the applicant and supporters share three. The meeting is webcast.
We track decisions like this on our Bath and Keynsham planning page. If you are driving into Bath for the meeting, the roadworks and travel page has the current closures, and note that camera enforcement of the banned right turn at High Street, Bath Hill and Temple Street in Keynsham went live on 24 August.
Sources
- Main Plans List, B&NES Planning Committee, 2 September 2026, officer’s report on application 25/04952/EOUT, for the recommendation, the grey belt assessment, the affordable housing figures, the HomeSearch and land supply numbers, the representation counts, the bus contribution and the Section 106 list.
- Agenda frontsheet, Planning Committee, 2 September 2026 for the time, venue, webcast and public speaking deadline.
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