Context

5.30 Home working provides a seedbed platform for entrepreneurs and micro businesses and enables traditional office based businesses to offer hybrid working patterns. In doing so, car commuting can be reduced and local businesses and services have the opportunity to build a larger local customer base.

5.31 Since the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home has become and is likely to remain an integral part of many peoples’ working patterns. Census data from 2001 showed homeworking rates for Portishead at 9%, while Portishead Neighbourhood Plan surveys undertaken in 2021 put this figure now at 25%.

5.32 Working from home does not need planning permission, as long as the residential character and amenity of the area is maintained. In some cases, planning permission will be needed for extensions and annexes to enable home working at existing houses. Specific live-work units can define distinct employment and residential components. The Neighbourhood Plan will give support to both residential annexes, subject to conformity with adopted strategic and Neighbourhood Plan design and transport policies that safeguard area character, traffic and parking considerations and residents’ amenity.

5.33 The Neighbourhood Plan encourages new homes built in Portishead to provide viable space as well as digital connectivity to enable home working. Support will also be given to proposals for appropriately designed and located live/work units which can support micro and start up use class E businesses linked to residential and commercial accommodation.

Relevant Objective

O11 To support Portishead’s economy and local employment, and support the continued development of a diverse, high value and low carbon economy.

Local Policy Context

• CS1: Addressing climate change and carbon reduction
• CS12: Achieving High Quality Design and Place-making 
• DM43: Residential annexes

POLICY PPE5 - HOMEWORKING AND LIVE WORK UNITS

New housing development should be designed to enable home working and viable live/work accommodation.

Support will be given to planning or listed building applications to create additional residential space to enable ancillary home working, subject to the proposed development maintaining existing residential amenity, being of an appropriate scale and design and preserving the fabric and setting of affected historic fabric and locally valued green infrastructure.