Steve Rotheram says the Our Places consultation will help shape the blueprint for how the city region will be planned and developed in the next 15 years. Tony McDonough reports
A major public consultation about the future direction of the Liverpool city region is being launched by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram,
He says the Our Places consultation will help shape the blueprint for how the city region will be planned and developed in the future. He adds the aim is to make it a “more prosperous, healthier and greener place to live, work, invest in, and visit”.
Responses will influence the Combined Authority’s first Spatial Development Strategy (SDS), which will set out a strategic framework for the development and use of land looking ahead at least 15 years.
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Anyone wanting to have their say on planning issues and the development of the SDS can click here where they can comment on a range of different policy themes. As well as the online survey, the Combined Authority will also be conducting a series of consultation events with community groups and representatives from the development and construction sector.
Mr Rotheram said: “Devolution gives us the opportunity to take decisions closer to home to shape how our city region looks in the future. I am launching this consultation so that our Spatial Development Strategy reflects the priorities of the people who live and work here.
“This latest consultation exercise is part of our LCR Listens approach, which has seen us consult with more than 2,000 people over the summer as we develop our Local Industrial Strategy.
“There is no statutory requirement for us to consult at this stage of the Spatial Development Strategy but we are committed to ensuring that we understand the 1.6m people we work for, so that their priorities inform everything we do.”
The SDS is a statutory planning document. This means that when it is published, it will form part of the ‘development plan’ for the city region’s six local authorities alongside their own Local Plans and Neighbourhood Plans.
The policies that make up the SDS, when finalised, will be considered when determining planning applications across the city region. After receiving all responses, the Combined Authority will review them and, along with any evidence needed, take them into account as it drafts the policies.
A draft of the SDS will then be presented to the Combined Authority followed by a 12-week consultation when people will be able to comment again on specific policies.