The Draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South West 2006 - 2026 T RSS Update H E D R a F T R E G I O N a L S P a T I a L S
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The Draft Regional Spatial Strategy 2006 - 2026 for the South West THE DRAFT REGIONAL SPATIAL STRATEGY RSS update THE DRAFT REGIONAL SPATIAL STRATEGY FOR THE SOUTH WEST 2006 - 2026 .uk aste. .uk eet .southwest-ra.gov [email protected] www 01823 425200 01823 270101 eb: Tel: Fax: email: W South West Regional Assembly South West Dennett House 11 Middle Str Taunton 1SH Somerset TA1 Designed by Peter Poland Design Ltd, Bristol. www.poland.co.uk Printed on 100% Post Consumer W DRAFT REGIONAL SPATIAL STRATEGY FOR THE SOUTH WEST The South West Regional Assembly would like to thank the following organisations and individuals for their assistance in providing the images for this document. Images are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without the owner’s express permission: Bath and North East Somerset Council Bath Tourism Plus Borough of Poole Bristol City Council BTCV Cotswold.com David Sellman Devon and Cornwall Housing Association Discover Devon Dorset County Council Eden Project Exeter City Council Housing Corporation (South West) Midas Homes Ltd National Maritime Museum Cornwall Peter Poland PlanetObserver Plymouth City Council Regen SW Rob Escott Sammorganhouse.com Somer Housing Group Somerset Tourism South Gloucestershire Council South West Waste Partnership South West Water Trevor Burrows VisitCornwall West Dorset District Council Western Challenge Housing Wiltshire County Council Published in June 2006 by the South West Regional Assembly. DRAFT REGIONAL SPATIAL STRATEGY FOR THE SOUTH WEST Consultation on the Draft Regional Spatial Strategy Timetable for the South West and Next Steps Early June 2006 - Publication of Draft RSS This Draft RSS for the South West has been for consultation produced by the South West Regional Assembly Late August 2006 - Closing date for consultation - a partnership of Councillors from all local responses authorities in the region and representatives of various sectors with a role in the region's Spring 2007 - Examination in Public economic, social and environmental well-being. Mid 2007 - Publication of Panel Report The Assembly is the Regional Planning Body, and as such has worked with a wide range of End 2007 - Secretary of State issues proposed partners and stakeholders to prepare the changes to the Draft RSS followed by an 8 week consultation period Draft RSS. Early 2008 - Revised RSS issued The Draft RSS is open for a 12 week formal consultation period. Details of the consultation dates and how to respond are given in the letter Getting Your Copy accompanying this document. Please send your comments to the Panel Secretary, not the All the documents referred to above will be Regional Assembly. available from the South West Regional Following consultation, there will be an Assembly website: www.southwest-ra.gov.uk Examination in Public (EiP) before an Copies of the documents will also be made independent Panel appointed by the Secretary available for inspection at the South West of State. All consultation responses will be Regional Assembly’s office during normal taken into account and will be used to help office hours, as well as main council offices determine the matters to be discussed at the and libraries across the region. EiP. It is the responsibility of the Panel to identify a list of matters and invite participants Copies of the Executive Summary, supported to attend the EiP. In general, the choice of by full copies of the Draft Regional Spatial participants will flow from the matters selected Strategy on CD, are available from the South for examination. There is no automatic right to West Regional Assembly. These can be appear at the EiP. There will be an opportunity requested from the Assembly at the contact to comment on the list of matters and details given below. attendance at the EiP before these are finalised. Additional copies of the full set of printed The Panel will prepare a report following the documents are available from the Assembly EiP, which will be sent to the Secretary of at the cost of £30.00 per set (inc VAT). State and will be made publicly available. Email - [email protected] The Secretary of State will then issue proposed changes to the Draft RSS with a reasoned Online - www.southwest-ra.gov.uk statement of the decisions. There will be a By post - South West Regional Assembly period of at least eight weeks to comment on Dennett House the proposed changes. The Secretary of State 11 Middle Street will then approve and issue the revised RSS. Taunton Somerset TA1 1SH Tel - 01823 270101 Fax - 01823 425200 DRAFT REGIONAL SPATIAL STRATEGY FOR THE SOUTH WEST FOREWORD The South West has a wealth of attributes which such as the cost of fuel, national airports make it a popular and attractive place to live, policy, building regulations, etc. These are work and visit. Producing a strategic plan for issues that will need to continue to be debated the region is a real challenge given its geographic regionally and nationally. size and diversity, and special environment. Technical projections suggest that a high rate The region is continuing to grow and we are of population growth will continue, and the facing up to this future with a strategy which economic prospects for most of the region are aims to locate development in places where jobs good if supported by positive planning, and homes can be more in balance. This will, particularly for the growth and development of we hope, in turn, reduce the need to travel so our strategically significant cities and towns. much by car. This will inevitably take time to This Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) has been have an effect. Much development is in the developed in tandem with the Regional Economic pipeline within the planning system and we will Strategy (RES), and the growth issue has been need to work through this over the next few debated fully. Much detailed work has been years, but we are committed to policy and action carried out at a sub-regional level to identify the to make our region sustainable. future role and function of the region’s key Key to achieving this are sufficient resources to urban areas, which we believe will be the make sure important infrastructure is put in economic ‘engines’, and there is a continuing place before, or at the same time as, development debate about the future of our many rural occurs. Only in this way can we prevent communities which the Draft RSS supports infrastructure ‘deficits’ arising in future, and through appropriate development. We hope ensure poor living and working environments do that this Draft RSS is ‘business friendly’ and not arise as a result of this strategy. The Assembly supports the high quality development necessary remains gravely concerned that the resources to enable the region’s economy to flourish and required to deliver the very substantial investments regeneration to take place. in social, health, educational and transport One of the important roles of the Draft RSS is to infrastructure will not be in place to facilitate the translate strategy into proposals for the provision high levels of development envisaged in the of new homes. This is a complex process. strategy. While every effort is being made within Technical projections suggest that around the region to generate funding from development 25,000 new homes per year could be needed to and other sources, significant investment by align with the 20 year population and economic Government will be required. forecasts, and contribute to the ‘Barker’ agenda. We believe firmly in maintaining and However, more detailed assessments taking enhancing the environmental excellence of the account of the advice of the Strategic Authorities, South West, but this is difficult with the scale regarding the ability of parts of the region to of growth and change which the region will absorb development with locally acceptable experience. While the region wishes to make environmental consequences, leads to the level its contribution to achieving the national of provision in this plan for approximately 23,000 targets for reducing emissions, it is clear that new homes per year. Careful monitoring of relatively high rates of growth of population change, and the consequences of making this and transport will make this very difficult. We level of housing provision, will need to take place have taken on board the Government’s targets to ensure basic needs for accommodation are to reduce CO2 emissions over the 20 years of met over the plan period. With this in mind, this this plan, but recognise that our efforts may Draft RSS is set firmly within the approach of well fall short as many of the factors which ‘Plan, Monitor, Manage’ rather than ‘Predict have an influence are beyond our control, and Provide’. Jackie Longworth Julian Johnson Chair – Chair – South West Regional Assembly Regional Spatial Planning and Transport Group DRAFT REGIONAL SPATIAL STRATEGY FOR THE SOUTH WEST CONTENTS Foreword PAGE Section 1 A Sustainable Future for the South West 1.1 The South West Region Today 2 1.2 Planning for the Future: The New RSS, Regional Planning Guidance 10 and Structure Plan Policies 4 1.3 What Sort of Region Do We Want To Be? 5 1.4 Major Challenges the Region Faces 6 1.5 Linkages Between IRS Aims and the RSS 8 1.6 Sustainability Principles and Policies to Guide the Spatial Strategy 9 1.7 Achieving the Region’s Sustainability Ambitions 17 Section 2 The Context for the Spatial Strategy 2.1 The Spatial Context for Change for the South West 20 2.2 The Quality of Environmental and Cultural Assets 20 2.3 Expected Economic