What next for sub-national planning in England? Assessing the new Liverpool City Region Spatial Development Strategy



Arnold, Thomas ORCID: 0000-0002-4223-5639 and Heseltine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place
What next for sub-national planning in England? Assessing the new Liverpool City Region Spatial Development Strategy. [Report]

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Abstract

Key takeaways 1. Liverpool City Region (LCR) has published the latest version of its Spatial Development Strategy (SDS), which is now out for consultation. The SDS provides high-level guidance on where housing and other development is likely to take place over the next 15 years. 2. With the planning system in a state of flux and many city-regional combined authorities still grappling with what role they should play in planning, the SDS provides a welcome strategic approach to development, and builds upon LCR’s Plan for Prosperity. 3. However, the SDS is as interesting for what it does not address as what is included. Unlike the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (now known as Places for Everyone), the SDS does not allocate land for release from the Green Belt, and so avoids the most politically sensitive of planning decisions. 4. While the future of the national planning system is uncertain with a General Election on the horizon in 2024, city-regional combined authorities will remain and should play a role in spatial planning. National government needs to provide combined authorities with the tools to engage fully in strategic planning at a city-regional level. 5. The lessons from London over the last 20 years suggest city-regional planning should be seen not just as a politically tricky hurdle to navigate, but as an opportunity by metro mayors to imprint their long-term vision on a city-region and achieve a physically tangible legacy. The LCR SDS is the first step of a longer-term process embedding strategic planning at the city-region scale.

Item Type: Report
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 05 Apr 2024 14:28
Last Modified: 05 Apr 2024 14:30
DOI: 10.17638/03172460
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3172460