Bristol businesses are being urged to have their say on a major planning blueprint that will determine where future development takes place across the West of England over the next 20 years.
The public engagement process on the final draft of the Joint Spatial Plan (JSP) closes next Wednesday, January 10, before it is sent to the government for further scrutiny. 
More than two years in the making and on its third draft, the JSP will help shape planning on housing and business growth across the Bristol City, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bath & North East Somerset council areas for the next two decades.
It sets out the over-arching policies and principles to determine the most appropriate and sustainable locations for future development. There have already been two previous consultations with contributions from business as well as individuals, communities and other stakeholders taken on board
The JSP is the first joint planning approach of its type in the UK and brings councils together to agree the number of new homes and jobs that are needed, the most appropriate locations for that growth and the infrastructure needed to support it.
All submissions made will be considered alongside the JSP, when they are passed to the government’s Planning Inspectorate.
The JSP will then be examined in public by a Planning Inspector, who will report back to the local authorities, which may include proposed amendments.
Once satisfied it meets all planning rules and laws, each council will then receive a report recommending whether or not to adopt the plan. At that point subject to approval, the JSP would sit above and guide the review of the councils’ own local plans.
Alongside the JSP, the four councils are also taking forward the findings of the Joint Transport Study (JTS), which is designed to help the region meet the growing infrastructure demands that new growth will bring, as well as identifying the projects that are needed to tackle existing pressure on road and public transport networks.
These include providing public transport, cycling and walking infrastructure to reduce reliance on cars and highway improvements to tackle congestion.
Full details of the draft JSP and how to take part in the process are available at www.jointplanningwofe.org.uk.
