Spatial Development Strategy

The West of England Combined Authority Committee have agreed to joint working principles and aims for developing the Spatial Development Strategy. These are:

• Co-development and equality of participation. All unitary authorities participate as equal partners with respect for different priorities and relationships. Political engagement will be sought at all levels. Formal voting will take place on a majority basis.
• Timing and momentum. Meeting the Government’s ambitious timeline for SDS delivery this Parliament will require working at pace, balancing the ambition of allowing sufficient space and time for internal discussions with the need for agile decision making.
• Strategic. The SDS will focus on addressing strategic / regional challenges, leaving local matters to be determined at the local level.
• Evidence and infrastructure-led. The SDS must be based on a proportionate, yet robust, evidence base, with all policies and proposals justified and capable of withstanding challenge at examination. Where possible, we will utilise evidence from UA local plans, rather than commissioning it new.
• Integration. The SDS must be fully integrated with and support the delivery of key national, regional and local priorities and programmes, taking strategic direction from the Growth Strategy.

Alongside this, the following aims for preparing the SDS were also agreed:

• A shared plan for delivering the Growth Strategy. A partnership approach is necessary to address the region’s housing availability and affordability challenges and break us out of the cycle of under-delivery.
• An ambitious and robust business case for investing in the region. The SDS must demonstrate how co-ordinated delivery can unlock the transformational infrastructure that the region needs to thrive. This must provide additionality to and not replicate the content of Local Plans produced by the local authorities.
• An evolving, realistic delivery programme that facilitates the vision taking shape. The SDS must help address the region’s challenges to delivery on the ground, including through providing a deliverable pipeline of intervention.

• Existing plans and programmes will be becoming a reality, enhancing the West of England’s international reputation as a region where innovation meets the natural and historic environment, where world-class universities, bold businesses and private investors, and restless creativity push boundaries and shape the future for our communities 

• Growth zones, strategic sites and regeneration areas will be emerging as vibrant and inclusive new districts where people want to live and spend time, and where our businesses thrive, complementing and enhancing the character and vitality of our existing rural and urban communities. 

• Real progress will have been made on reducing inequalities and deprivation across our region. Thousands of new, high-quality homes will have been built in the right places, creating new communities and strengthening existing ones, with homes that are affordable, attractive, healthy and sustainable and provide variety and choice. High quality retrofit and sensitively designed re-use of existing buildings will form part of the solution in reducing our impact on the natural environment. 

• There will be early investment in transport throughout the region, connecting our existing and new communities to both our rural and urban places and making the West of England more accessible and inclusive for all. New development will be focused in locations that are accessible by public transport and active travel, reducing the need to travel by car.  

• Development will be supported by the full range of infrastructure required for all communities to thrive, such as quality local health services, excellent schools that match the ambitions of our young people, cutting-edge digital connectivity and open, nature-rich spaces which support healthier communities and improve our climate resilience. Developments are supported by the timely delivery of necessary infrastructure and public services. 

• Green growth will underpin our success, proving that economic prosperity and environmental leadership go hand in hand. While making efficient use of land and bringing more homes to our existing urban areas, growth and regeneration will also make vital space for nature throughout the region, ensuring nature can be restored, be re-connected and recover across the West of England, as outlined in our Local Nature Recovery Strategy 

• The region will be better adapted to and more resilient to the impacts of climate change, reinforcing our leadership in clean and green industries with investment in green infrastructure. Nature will provide region-wide sustainable solutions to help us address the long-term risks of climate change and nature loss - improving air and water quality, restoring soil productivity, reducing flooding6 and urban heating, and improving public health.  

• As the West of England continues to grow, development will be directed to the right places, expanding or creating new communities in a way that respects our beloved landscapes and supports nature recovery, whilst enhancing our cherished culture and heritage and underpinning the unique vitality of our existing cities, towns and villages.  

• Through strong partnership between the public sector, developers and private investors, we will meet our pressing housing needs in full, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity for a decent place to call home at every stage of life. 

• Growth in housing will be matched by growth in core aspects of the West of England’s diverse economy, from cutting edge innovation in artificial intelligence, digital technology and green industries to the vibrant creative sector and the crucial everyday economy, providing local people with the jobs and skills they require to meet their full potential. 

• Mass transit to reduce car travel will be delivered on key routes across the West of England, supported by widespread local investment in public transport and active travel. Connections within and between our towns and cities, as well as vital connections to our rural communities and beyond the region, will be convenient, reliable, and affordable, served by a sustainable transport network that enables people to get where they need to be easily, quickly and safely.  

• The necessary infrastructure will be carefully coordinated to match the delivery of homes and jobs as they come forward, ensuring that nobody is left behind. 

• The region will be greener, with cleaner air and water and more spaces managed for nature, promoting biodiversity, health and wellbeing, reducing the risk of flooding and mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change. The West of England will remain a place people choose to call home— a place that sets the pace, drives new ideas and shapes the future.