Find out about the evidence that underpins our local plan policies and how we monitor them.
Monitoring
We monitor development trends and carry out housing and business surveys to assess the effectiveness of local plan policies.
Authority's Monitoring Report
pdf Bristol Development Monitoring Report 2022 (2.97 MB)
Residential Development Survey
pdf RDS Report 2024: headlines (258 KB)
Business Development Survey
- pdf Business Development Survey 2022 (1.09 MB)
- pdf Schedule of sites from the Business Development Survey (BDS) 2022 (1.03 MB)
Local Aggregates Assessment for the West of England
pdf 2013 to 2022 West of England Local Aggregates Assessment (883 KB)
Housing supply and delivery
pdf Five Year Housing Land Supply Report 2020 to 2025 (1.22 MB)
The pdf Housing Delivery Test Action Plan (188 KB) sets out the actions we are taking to boost the supply of homes in the city.
Evidence
The following evidence documents have informed the current local plan review.
Centres, shopping, and the evening economy
- pdf Bristol City Centre Retail and Leisure Study (1.59 MB)
- pdf Bristol Local Centres Study (76.35 MB)
Design and conservation
You can find some documents that we use as evidence on the Conservation pages.
Central Area Context Study
This study from September 2013 has information on the historic development of Bristol and changes that have affected the central area of the city:
- pdf Central Area Context Study: Chapters 1 to 3 (5.19 MB)
- pdf Central Area Context Study: Chapter 4 (10.86 MB)
- pdf Central Area Context Study: Chapters 5 to 6 (2.32 MB)
Economy and employment
The evidence base that informed the strategy for the provision of employment land and space in Bristol includes the following documents:
- pdf Bristol Employment Land Review JLL Report: November 2023 (6.56 MB)
- pdf West of England Employment Land Spatial Needs Assessment (ELSNA) (4.28 MB)
- pdf Bristol Employment Land Study (ELS) 2019 (7.18 MB)
- pdf Bristol Employment Sites and Premises Review 2023 (2.34 MB)
- pdf Employment Land Topic Paper 2023 (2.07 MB)
Flood risk
Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA)
The SFRA looks at how likely it is that different parts of Bristol will flood in the future.
SFRA Level 1 reports have an overview of the flood risk in Bristol:
- pdf Citywide SFRA Level 1 report from December 2020 (1.78 MB)
- pdf SFRA user guide (121 KB)
- pdf Functional floodplain with river network map (8.89 MB)
- pdf Historic flood map (1.13 MB)
- pdf Sequential Test, 2080 Flood Zone 3 map (16.85 MB)
- pdf Sequential Test, 2120 Flood Zone 3 map (31.36 MB)
- pdf Sequential Test, present day Flood Zone 2 map (13.92 MB)
- pdf Sequential Test, present day Flood Zone 3 map (13.59 MB)
- pdf Surface water flood risk, 2080 map (19.22 MB)
- pdf Surface water flood risk, 2115 map (18.04 MB)
- pdf Surface water flood risk, present day, 30 year return period map (15.11 MB)
- pdf Surface water flood risk, present day, 100 year return period map (23.33 MB)
- pdf Surface water flood risk, present day, 1000 year return period map (20.54 MB)
SFRA Level 2 reports have more detail about areas in Bristol:
There are maps that go with the SFRA technical report:
Avonmouth maps
- pdf Avonmouth 1 in 200 Tidal Flood Defended Scenario (4.81 MB)
- pdf Avonmouth 1 in 200 Tidal Flood Defended Scenario 2098 (5.40 MB)
- pdf Avonmouth 1 in 200 Tidal Flood Defended Scenario 2120 (5.66 MB)
- pdf Avonmouth 1 in 200 Tidal Flood Defence Failure Breach Scenario 2098 (1.74 MB)
- pdf Avonmouth 1 in 200 Tidal Flood Defence Failure Breach Scenario 2120 (2.02 MB)
Central area maps
- pdf Central Area 1 in 100 Fluvial (1 in 1 Tidal) Flood Defended Scenario, Depth (14.73 MB)
- pdf Central Area 1 in 100 Fluvial (1 in 1 Tidal) Flood Defended Scenario 2120: Upper End, Depth (15.03 MB)
- pdf Central Area 1 in 100 Fluvial (1 in 1 Tidal) Flood Defence Failure Scenario: Depth (14.75 MB)
- pdf Central Area 1 in 100 Fluvial (1 in 1 Tidal) Flood Defence Failure Scenario 2120: Upper End, Depth (15.03 MB)
- pdf Central Area 1 in 200 Tidal (1 in 2 Fluvial) Flood Defended Scenario: Depth (14.72 MB)
- pdf Central Area 1 in 200 Tidal (1 in 2 Fluvial) Flood Defended Scenario 2120: Depth (14.92 MB)
- pdf Central Area 1 in 200 Tidal (1 in 2 Fluvial) Flood Defence Failure Scenario: Depth (14.78 MB)
- pdf Central Area 1 in 200 Tidal (1 in 2 Fluvial) Flood Defence Failure Scenario 2120: Depth (14.92 MB)
Flood defence failure and flood risk maps
- pdf Flood defence failure (20.78 MB)
- pdf Risk of Flooding from Surface Water: Medium Risk, Depth (23.98 MB)
- pdf Risk of Flooding from Surface Water: Medium Risk. Depth 2115 (24.36 MB)
Central Area Flood Risk Assessment
This is a study on tidal and river flood risks in Central Bristol that we made with the Environment Agency.
You can look at pdf a summary report of the Central Flood Risk Assessment (7.15 MB) . You should use this alongside the SFRA as this has the most up to date information for the centre of Bristol.
To get the information used in the study, email the Environment Agency at WessexEnquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk
Surface Water Management Plan (SWMP)
We'll use the SWMP to help us deal with flooding caused by heavy rainfall.
The pdf SWMP model summary (1.28 MB) has details of the flood modelling conducted.
If you need this information in an alternative format, email flood.data@bristol.gov.uk
There's information on parts of Bristol that have the highest risk of surface water flooding contained in the Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment report and accompanying surface water flood risk maps found above.
Green Belt
pdf West of England Combined Authority Strategic Green Belt Assessment (September 2022) (21.32 MB) .
Housing
We carry out assessments of housing need and of sites in Bristol that might be suitable for different types of housing:
- pdf Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (April 2024) (34.40 MB)
- pdf Housing need and supply Topic Paper (April 2024) (1.11 MB)
- pdf City of Bristol Local Housing Needs Assessment (November 2023) (2.47 MB)
- pdf Bristol City Council: Local Plan Viability Assessment (August 2023) (22.10 MB)
- pdf Bristol Urban Potential Assessment 2020-2040 (November 2023) (1.35 MB)
- pdf Gypsy and Traveller Accomodation Assessment 2020 (2.63 MB)
- pdf Student Accommodation: City Centre (January 2024) (2.52 MB)
Infrastructure
pdf Infrastructure Delivery Plan (November 2023) (897 KB)
The Avonmouth infrastructure study looks at flood risk, ecology and transport in the Avonmouth and Severnside area:
- pdf Avonmouth and Severnside Integrated Development, Infrastructure, and Flood Risk Management Study April 2012 (10.40 MB)
- pdf List of Appendices for the Avonmouth Infrastructure Study (18 KB)
- pdf Appendices 1 to 5 for the Avonmouth Infrastructure Study (11.16 MB) (Appendix 4 to be added at a later date)
- pdf Appendices 6 to 10 for the Avonmouth Infrastructure Study (9.79 MB)
- pdf Appendices 11 to 15 for the Avonmouth Infrastructure Study (9.61 MB)
- pdf Appendix 16 for the Avonmouth Infrastructure Study (18.81 MB)
- pdf Appendices 17 to 21 for the Avonmouth Infrastructure Study (9.61 MB)
- pdf Avonmouth Severnside Outline Development Strategy Report April 2012 (2.05 MB)
Natural environment
The Parks and Green Spaces Strategy has information on how green space in the city should be used. More information about the strategy can be found at pdf Bristol parks and green space strategy (21.28 MB) .
Severnside and Avonmouth Wetland Habitat Project
This project looked at what areas of land would be suitable as a habitat for wetland birds:
- pdf Severnside and Avonmouth Wetland Habitat Project Stage 1: Distribution of wetland birds within the study area (491 KB)
- pdf Severnside and Avonmouth Wetland Habitat Project Stage 2: Review of consent at Severnside and Avonmouth Impact Assessment (1.23 MB)
- pdf Severnside and Avonmouth Wetland Habitat Project Stage 2: Figures (13.61 MB)
- pdf Severnside and Avonmouth Wetland Habitat Project Stage 2: Appendices (2.08 MB)
Sustainable energy and design
- pdf Net Zero and Climate Evidence Topic Paper 2023 (765 KB)
- pdf Bristol City Council: Evidence Base for New Housing Policy: High Rise (2.41 MB)
- pdf Bristol Citywide Sustainable Energy Study (7.94 MB)
- pdf West of England cost of carbon reduction study: Non-technical introduction (148 KB)
- pdf West of England cost of carbon reduction study: Full report (1.34 MB)
- pdf Carbon offsetting in the West of England (2.36 MB)
- pdf An evidence based strategy for delivering zero carbon heat in Bristol (2.88 MB)
- pdf Bristol City Council Zero Carbon Heating and Cooling Study: Whole Life Carbon and Cost Appraisal (9.16 MB)
- pdf Summary of evidence in support of planning policies NZC1-4 (216 KB)
- Net zero new buildings: Evidence and guidance to inform planning policy January 2022
Transport
You can also find documents that we use as evidence on the WECA transport webpage and our transport plans and projects page.