Plan for city region
A CONSULTATION has been launched in the Liverpool City Region to shape plans for how to it can be developed in the future.
The Our Places consultation will influence the blueprint for how the area, which includes Halton, will be planned.
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.
An on line survey has been launched so residents can have their say on planning issues and the development of the
SDS, allowing them to comment on a range of different policy themes.
As well as the survey, the Combined Authority will also be conducting a series of consultation events with community groups and representatives from the development and construction sector.
Speaking about the consultation, Liverpool City Region metro mayor Steve 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, which will inform how our city region is planned and developed over the next 15 years, 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 1.6 million people we work for, so that their priorities inform everything we do.”
The SDS is a statutory planning document.
A spokesman for Mr Rotheram’s office said this means that when it is published, it will form part of the ‘development plan’ for the city region’s six local authorities – which includes Halton, Liverpool, St Helens, Wirral, Sefton and Knowsley – 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.