Issue - meetings

The West of England Combined Authority draft Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) is scheduled to be considered by the West of England Combined Authority Committee on 8 April 2022. This meeting provides Cabinet the opportunity to consider its key priorities for the SDS.

Councillor Tim Ball introduced the report and moved the recommendations.  Councillor Kevin Guy seconded the recommendations.  In so doing, it was noted the following key priorities which had been outlined at the virtual Cabinet meeting on 31^st March 2022;

•  SDS must be good for the whole community;

•  The SDS is a strategic plan and this should be evident in the nature of the document, which must be accessible to residents and the public and must be in a format that is understood. The SDS must avoid the criticism that Inspectors had of the now withdrawn Joint Strategic Partnership;

•  The SDS should provide a robust strategic planning framework for the new Local Plan but should avoid getting into the details of issues which will be covered by Local Plans. Local Plans will be the vehicle for deciding where housing allocations go, and this is not the not role of the SDS;

•  We understand that the SDS will need to take into account the Government’s housing targets, but we expect the SDS to give as much weight to other critical priorities such as the Climate and Nature emergencies, protection of our environment as well as enabling the creation of jobs which are fit for the future and the delivery of affordable housing to meet the needs of B&NES’ residents;

•  Due to the significant scale of the challenge arising from the SDS for Unitary Authorities, we expect WECA to provide the necessary support for Unitary Authority Local Plans to ensure the right outcomes;

•  B&NES will place significant emphasis on working with our local communities in the formulation of our Local Plan and we will take into what the residents say;

•  Tackling the climate and ecological emergency is one of our core policies;

•  The SDS must provide the necessary policies and a spatial strategy which facilitates these objectives, including sustainable construction, renewable energy generation and reducing reliance on private car travel;

•  SDS must facilitate transformational change to enable major strides to be taken to move the sub-region to carbon neutrality & facilitate major cultural changes;

•  The SDS should not only seek to ensure that new growth is sustainable, but provides the opportunity to address existing unsustainable patterns of development.

•  The SDS must be underpinned by robust evidence which shows how this can be achieved, and which will also provide a firm basis for the preparation of Unitary Authority Local Plans.

RESOLVED (unanimously) to note the key priorities set out for the West of England Combined Authority draft Spatial Development Strategy (SDS).

The West of England Combined Authority draft Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) is scheduled to be considered by the West of England Combined Authority Committee on 8 April 2022. This meeting provides Cabinet the opportunity to consider its key priorities for the SDS.

Councillor Tim Ball introduced the report and moved the recommendations.  Councillor Sarah Warren seconded the recommendations.  In so doing, the Councillors outlined the following key priorities;

•  SDS must be good for the whole community;

•  The SDS is a strategic plan and this should be evident in the nature of the document, which must be accessible to residents and the public and must be in a format that is understood. The SDS must avoid the criticism that Inspectors had of the now withdrawn Joint Strategic Partnership;

•  The SDS should provide a robust strategic planning framework for the new Local Plan but should avoid getting into the details of issues which will be covered by Local Plans. Local Plans will be the vehicle for deciding where housing allocations go, and this is not the not role of the SDS;

•  We understand that the SDS will need to take into account the Government’s housing targets, but we expect the SDS to give as much weight to other critical priorities such as the Climate and Nature emergencies, protection of our environment as well as enabling the creation of jobs which are fit for the future and the delivery of affordable housing to meet the needs of B&NES’ residents;

•  Due to the significant scale of the challenge arising from the SDS for Unitary Authorities, we expect WECA to provide the necessary support for Unitary Authority Local Plans to ensure the right outcomes;

•  B&NES will place significant emphasis on working with our local communities in the formulation of our Local Plan and we will take into what the residents say;

•  Tackling the climate and ecological emergency is one of our core policies;

•  The SDS must provide the necessary policies and a spatial strategy which facilitates these objectives, including sustainable construction, renewable energy generation and reducing reliance on private car travel;

•  SDS must facilitate transformational change to enable major strides to be taken to move the sub-region to carbon neutrality & facilitate major cultural changes;

•  The SDS should not only seek to ensure that new growth is sustainable, but provides the opportunity to address existing unsustainable patterns of development.

•  The SDS must be underpinned by robust evidence which shows how this can be achieved, and which will also provide a firm basis for the preparation of Unitary Authority Local Plans.

RESOLVED (unanimously) to note the key priorities set out for the West of England Combined Authority draft Spatial Development Strategy (SDS).