SWCouncils

About Us

Strategic Leaders’ Board (SLB) is the executive arm of SW Councils. The 20-strong SLB is a grouping of local authority Leaders made up of county and unitary council Leaders and district representation...

South West Councils brings local authorities together to ensure the best deal for their areas and works collaboratively to strengthen the local voice at regional and national levels...

South West Employers (SWE) is an Employers’ forum which offers member organisations guidance and practical assistance on employment-related issues and delivers a programme of Learning & Development opportunities...

South West Improvement & Efficiency Partnership (SW IEP) helps councils and their partners to deliver better services, set through Local Area Agreements (LAAs), by supporting them in their efforts to become more efficient, innovative and engaged...

The South West Secretariat provides officer support for the four Member-led organisations above...

 
Members and Meetings
 

Contact Us

Dennett House
11 Middle Street
Taunton
Somerset
TA1 1SH

Tel: 01823 270101

Fax: 01823 425200

Email: info@swcouncils.gov.uk 

Find Us

 
You are here: 

The Draft Regional Spatial Strategy

Draft RSS CoverThe Draft RSS was submitted to Government by the Assembly in April 2006. It was open for public consultation from 6 June to 30 August 2006 - click here for more information.  The Draft RSS documents are available in Download related documents below.

In addition, a number of background and technical documents which informed development of the Draft RSS can be viewed under the In Depth page below.

Copies of the Draft RSS documents are available for inspection at the South West Councils office during normal office hours, as well as main council offices and libraries across the region. These are listed on the relevant council's website.

                                                         

Download related documents

This is the main policy document setting out the Spatial Strategy for growth and development in the region, and the strategic policies which will shape this. As it is a large document we have broken it down into sections for ease of viewing. The maps and diagrams in the document can also be viewed separately
A Sustainable Future for the South West – sets out the challenges facing the region, how the Draft RSS will help address them, and the sustainability principles and policies to guide the spatial strategy
The Context for the Spatial Strategy – sets out factors which influenced the Draft RSS including the quality of environmental and cultural assets, expected economic and population change, the availability of resources, the functional approach to planning, and the inter-relationships between places
The Spatial Strategy and Guidance for the Scale and Location of Development – contains the Spatial Strategy Statement and Development Policies guiding the scale and location of development as well as guidelines for delivering quality development, and the region ’s priorities for investment to support the Spatial Strategy
Sub-Regional Strategy Statements and Housing Distribution – provides more detailed sub-regional strategy statements including transport components, and the district housing allocations
Regional Approach to Transport – contains a set of transport policies to deliver the overall Strategy
Harnessing the Benefits of Population Growth and Managing the Implications of Population Change – includes policies for affordable housing, gypsies and travellers, providing communities services, healthcare, local cultural facilities and ‘green infrastructure’
Enhancing Distinctive Environments and Cultural Life – includes policies for cultural activity and infrastructure, natural environment, the coast, flood risk, energy, water resources, land management, woodlands and forests, air quality, minerals and waste management
Enhancing Economic Prosperity and Quality of Employment Opportunity – sets out the links to the Regional Economic Strategy, and policies for employment sites, city and town centres, tourism, and casinos
Addressing Deprivation and Disadvantage to Reduce Intra-Regional Inequalities – sets out a statement of priorities to address economic disparity and inclusion
Ensuring People are Treated Fairly and Can Participate in Society – includes guidelines for social inclusion and consultation and policies supporting equality and diversity
1. South West Biodiversity Targets; 2. Sub-Regional Allocations for Waste Capacity; 3. Multiple Deprivation in the South West
Sets out how the Spatial Strategy and policies will be delivered. Work on implementation will continue after submission of the Draft RSS. The Implementation Plan closely aligns with the RSS Annual Monitoring Report.
This explains the consultation processes undertaken during development of the Draft RSS, and highlights key issues raised and how these have been addressed
The development of the Draft RSS has been tested against regional sustainability objectives (incorporating the requirements
of the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive). The SSA recognises that there is much to commend in sustainability terms
in the Draft RSS. It highlights sustainability strengths and weaknesses of the Strategy and Policies. A particular strength is
the focussed approach to development. It raises concerns over the implications for climate change, particularly the potential
increase in travel, reflecting the region’s strong economic and population growth
Supplementary Information to the SSA
Detailed Appraisal Matrices for Draft RSS Policies
SSA of Sub Regional Strategy Statements in Draft RSS
A non-statutory Executive Summary of the Draft RSS