Helping to plan the future over the next 20 years of a region as special as the South West is no mean task, particularly given the scale of development proposed. Get it right, and you lay good foundations for many generations to come. Get it wrong, and the mistakes will be difficult to reverse. And this project was not just about development. It was about people — from the picture-book villages of Devon to the deprived estates of Bristol. There was a great sense of wanting to improve people’s quality of life, particularly those most in need, by delivering the homes and jobs required, and better environments to enjoy. And our responsibility for the global environment — such as climate change and biodiversity — was paramount throughout.
The South West Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) will set the framework for development in the region over the next 20 years. It aims to deliver nearly 500,000 more homes and around 400,000 extra jobs. At the same time it aims to reduce the region’s greenhouse gas emissions, and ensure that transport and water infrastructure can cope with the new development. Overall it seeks to improve the quality of life in existing communities, to ensure that the new development is of a high quality, and that the special landscapes and wildlife of the region are protected and enhanced.
This sustainability appraisal (SA) was all about exploring the different (and ultimately best) ways that the delivery of development in the South West could meet a range of economic, social and environmental objectives. As an independent exercise undertaken by experts at LUC (supported by consultants at CEP and Levett-Therivel), the SA constantly challenged the South West Regional Assembly to improve the likely outcomes of the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) in sustainability terms. A notable success was the inclusion of strong policies on greenhouse gas emissions. The accompanying Habitats Regulations Assessment led to much stronger protection of internationally designated sites.
