Bristol Core Strategy Examination

23rd July 2010

Bristol City Council Core Strategy Examination got underway on 21st June amid daily announcements about changes to the planning system as we knew it. On behalf of LandTrust Developments we attended some of the sessions and took part in some interesting discussions. Topics included the likely delivery of development across the city, which is increasingly in jeopardy due to the recent 25% budget cuts. This will have a particular impact on infrastructure schemes and HCA funding.

The early Pickles pronouncements on the revocation of Regional Spatial Strategies caused some of the more interesting sessions relating to housing numbers, the greenbelt and urban extensions to be postponed to September. These future debates look set to be a lively and will focus the mind on what housing figures should be met, the requirement or not for joint working across boundaries and how strategic housing need will be interpreted. This will be the first test of how a city can provide for its populations’ needs when it is so physically constrained within its administrative boundaries.

We look forward to the next part of the examination in September, the spending review in October and the Inspectors report after that. All eyes will be on the Inspector, as he has the unenviable job of interpreting what the ‘localism’ agenda and its initial offerings mean for the soundness of the Core Strategy. It must be likely that soundness as we know it is up for grabs, and there is plenty of time for many more announcements over the summer.