The South West Regional Assembly is currently making plans for the next twenty years. Although nothing is decided, their vision appears to be for a massive building programme for the region's main cities and towns, especially Bristol. They are seriously considering building 120,000 homes in and near Bristol by 2026; that is twice as many homes as there are in Bath.

Friends of the Earth has an alternative vision that they claim would give a better quality of life, stronger communities and would make Bristol into the world's first sustainable city.

They want to see 'urban villages' throughout the Bristol area. Each urban vilage would be a tight cluster of homes round a pedestrian centre with shops, jobs, services and public transport. There can be open spaces, playing fields, parks and trees between the urban villages.

Research shows that local shops, services and public transport have been declining because not enough people live within walking distance. If there are fewer cars then we need less roads and parking, so more people can live comfortably in the same space. This puts more people within walking distance of the village centre.

Alan Pinder of Friends of the Earth says, “There would be less need for cars in such a city; most people could easily walk to the centre for the things they need daily. That means there would be almost no traffic, so less noise, fumes and dust. Most of us live with heavy traffic every day, so we forget how good it is to have no noise and smells. It also means that streets become pleasant meeting places and the heart of the community, rather than streams of traffic to cross.”

This vision is not theoretical, but is based on many European cities. It could not be achieved overnight, but Friends of the Earth say it is the direction to go in, rather than housing estates built on green fields or town cramming, where every open space gets built on.

Anyone wishing to know more about the Friends of the Earth vision or wanting to help the campaign against the massive building programme can visit the website or contact Alan Pinder at 01454-416778, email: Southglos housing.

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