West of England Joint Strategic Planning Strategy


The four authorities which comprise the West of England area (including Bristol City, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset Councils) have formally agreed to work together on a Joint Strategic Planning Strategy (JSPS).  The Pre-Commencement document is the notice of intent that a JSPS is to be prepared for the West of England and sets out its scope, methodology and programme.  It will be a strategic planning framework and a formal development plan document covering the period 2016 to 2036 that will inform local plan reviews.

Its objective will be “to identify the overall quantum of housing and jobs within the West of England to be planned for and their distribution across the sub-region, the overall spatial strategy, strategic priorities, and strategic infrastructure necessary to deliver the spatial strategy.”

The West of England authorities are currently undertaking a new Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) to cover the period 2016 to 2036.  The outputs of the new SHMA will be considered in the JSPS alongside other evidence and technical studies.  The JSPS will, through the plan-making process, identify the housing requirement and its spatial implications across all four West of England authorities.  It will be based on an up to date evidence base and is likely to include a variety of assessments including an economic development needs assessment.  Its scope will include the identification of strategic infrastructure proposals, including transport, required to deliver the scale of development envisaged.  Where there are gaps in evidence further studies may be required including an appraisal of Green Belt.

The proposed timetable for the JSPS is for adoption in spring 2017 although this is stated to be indicative at this stage.

Each of the four West of England authorities have issued a “call for sites” whereby individuals and organisations are invited to identify sites and broad locations for housing and economic development.  Sites and broad locations should be capable of delivering ten or more dwellings or economic development on sites of 0.25ha (or 500m2 of floor space) and above. These sites will be considered in the SMHA and then potentially in the JSPS.

In June 2006 the Draft Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the South West was published for public consultation.  Produced by the South West Regional Assembly, the Draft RSS covered a wide area including the West of England area.  It was formally revoked in 2013 but is the most recent strategic study of development for the area.  It identified the provision of some 64,000 new dwellings over a 20 year period in the Bristol Travel To Work Area.  Many were identified within Bristol (40,000 dwellings) with a further 24,500 identified in the four Areas of Search A to D.  Since that time development proposals have been progressed in a number of locations but not significantly in Area of Search A to the south west of Bristol where 10,500 dwellings were identified.

Elements of the key infrastructure identified in the Draft RSS as being required in the vicinity of Area of Search A are being progressed. The MetroBus (rapid transit) network has been granted planning permission with initial works about to commence and the South Bristol Link Road has also been granted planning permission.

Key Transport Consultants have no specific insight but would be surprised if the relevant land owners are not pushing for the land in Area of Search A to be included for consideration in the SHMA.  With the planned provision of key infrastructure in the area it may be that new housing development in Area of Search A may be difficult for the West of England area authorities to resist.