People in the West of England are being urged to take the opportunity to shape the area’s housing and transport provision for the next 20 years by participating in a major consultation.

The West of England needs to plan for more homes if it is to meet the area’s growing need for housing and continue to be economically successful. It has been calculated that the area will need 85,000 new homes by 2036. With 56,000 currently planned or approved, options as to where a further 29,000 homes could be built are being explored.

This plan is about delivering the homes needed for future generations: affordable, well-designed, well-located and well-connected.

The options are part of councils’ emerging Joint Spatial Plan and Transport Study which form the basis of their consultation to shape the development of housing, employment space, transport and infrastructure provision until 2036.

They have been set out on a series of indicative maps for people to examine during the three-month consultation. Although all options are up for discussion and debate, partners agree that the focus for new housing should be on previously developed land to minimise the need for developing green space.

People can get involved by:
• Checking out the detail on the website (http://www.jointplanningwofe.org.uk), which contains information about the options, and the various ways that people can leave their views.
• Emailing comments or enquiries to: comment@jointplanningwofe.org.uk.
• Sending written comments to: West of England Joint Planning Consultation
c/o South Gloucestershire Council, PO Box 299, Corporate Research and Consultation Team, Civic Centre, High Street, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 0DR.
• Attending one of a series of local events which will take place across the West of England – including on Thursday 14 January at the Town Hall, Weston-super-Mare, 10am-midday.
• Following a dedicated Twitter feed @WEJointPlanning which will provide updates on the consultation process and give your views using the #WEbuildourfuture hashtag.

The draft Joint Spatial Plan will be published in autumn 2016, and finally submitted to government in 2017. It could be formally adopted in early 2018.