Local people are being urged not to miss the chance to have their say on a major consultation seeking views on the future provision of housing and transport in the West of England.
Consultation on the Issues and Options for the Joint Spatial Plan and Transport Study, led by the area’s four local authorities, comes to a close at the end of the month (29th January).
Organisers have been touring the West of England since last November sharing information on various options about where housing and infrastructure could be provided and gathering feedback.
More than 1,000 people have given their feedback to date, and on social media the #WEbuildourfuture hashtag has been used, shared and commented on hundreds of times since the consultation launched on 9th November.
The end result will be a locally created plan that will be used by local authorities to guide housing, employment space and transport provision in their areas until 2036.
The West of England is growing and economically successful: the area is worth around £26bn a year to the UK economy, and around 95,000 new jobs are targeted to be created by 2036.
Estimates state that the area needs 85,000 new and affordable homes by 2036, which is 29,000 more than currently planned and predicted.
Leaders from each of the four local authorities say they are pleased with the level of engagement.
Cllr Tim Warren, Leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council said: “This is the final opportunity for people to have their say on the Issues and Options document which will influence one of the most important pieces of region-wide planning for the next 20 years.
“If you haven’t already contributed, please get in touch before the consultation closes.”
There are a number of other ways people can share their views before the consultation closes on 29th January, including online, by emailing [email protected],uk and by mail 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.
For more information, visit the website at: http://www.jointplanningwofe.org.uk.