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) has been submitted to Government and is being consulted on. This has been delayed because of Government intervention to increase housing numbers. A Public Examination is not now expected until the middle of 2009.

A Project Plan for Phase 3 (dealing with rural and environmental issues) has been adopted and the Assembly is preparing to consult with local authorities, however public consultation will be delayed until after the Public Excamination into Phse 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 which will replace the Regional Spatial Strategy and the Regional Economic Strategy. The Government is currenlty consulting on the details

16.02.08