Regional Spatial Strategy

Every region is required by law to produce a Regional Spatial Strategy which sets out how the region will develop over the next twenty years.

The strategy should determine how local authority’s individual Local Development Frameworks are prepared and how major planning proposals are decided on.

Local Development Frameworks and development proposals of ‘regional significance’ such as motorways, airports and large business parks have to prove they are in ‘general conformity’ with the strategy.

More details on how this works can be found on our national planning resource.

The West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy

The West Midlands’ Regional Spatial Strategy (RPG 11, published in June 2004 and reissued as RSS11 in January 2008) covers the years 2001-2021.

The aim of RSS 11 is to reverse the unsustainable trend for people to move from cities into the countryside, (currently running at 12,500 net per annum.)

West Midlands CPRE supports the policy of concentrating development in major urban areas, stopping urban extensions into the Green Belt or overspill development into our rural Shires.

West Midlands CPRE also supports the target for 76% of housing to be on previously developed (‘brownfield’) land.

And we support many of the policies to protect the environment.

But we also oppose proposals to widen the M6 in Staffordshire, the threat of large logistics (‘warehouse’) development and the on going threat of massive airport expansion.

The Regional Assembly publishes monitoring reports on progress on its website.

The Review

RPG 11 is now being partially reviewed in three stages.

Phase 1 (dealing with the Black Country Study) has now been completed and changes incorporated into the strategy. The Black Country local authorities are now developing a Core Strategy, which CPRE is responding to.

Phase 2 (dealing with housing, economics, transport and waste) was submitted to Government in January 2007. Consultation was delayed because of Government intervention to increase housing numbers. CPRE suibmitted detailled comments by the deadline of December 2008. The Public Examination will open in April 2009 and run until ther end of June/early July.

A Project Plan for Phase 3 (dealing with rural and environmental issues) has been adopted and the Assembly has consulted with local authorities. Following detailled work a consultation on options will be undetaken following the Public Excamination into Phase 2.

The Future

The Sub-National Review will result in the abolition of the Regional Assembly in 2010 and development of a Single Integrated Regional Strategy developed jointly by the Forum of Local Authority Leaders and Advantage West Midlands, which will replace the Regional Spatial Strategy and the Regional Economic Strategy. The form this will take and how it will be developed is not yet decided.

15.01.09