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Spatial Planning
Found out all about the Spatial Development Strategy, our latest engagements, and other key projects.
What we do
Devolution means that our Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has strategic planning powers to help accelerate economic growth and to respond to the issues and challenges that are present here. That’s why we’re working with our local councils to create a Spatial Development Strategy which will set out which types of development will happen where across the whole of the Liverpool City Region.
A big driver behind this is our preference for a Brownfield First approach, which means that, wherever possible, houses should be built on previously developed land.
Through our Land Commission and the One Public Estate partnership, we’re also looking at how land can be best used across our city region.
Spatial Development Strategy
As part of its Devolution Deal with Government, the Combined Authority (CA) is preparing a strategic land-use planning framework called a Spatial Development Strategy (SDS). This allows the Liverpool City Region to develop its own distinctive planning strategy in response to the issues and opportunities present here – in keeping with the principles of devolution.
Strategic planning matters that the SDS will consider include housing, economy and employment, health and wellbeing, climate change and the environment.
The SDS will be the first of its kinds for the Liverpool City Region. It will form part of the overall planning framework along with plans prepared by the 6 constituent authorities.
One Public Estate
The LCR One Public Estate (OPE) Partnership is managed by the LCRCA and is an established national programme delivered in partnership by the LGA and the Office for Government Property (OGP) within the Cabinet Office. The partnership supports locally led partnerships of public sector bodies to deliver:
- Public service delivery strategies;
- Understand estates needs;
- Opportunities to bid into revenue (OPE) and capital (Brownfield Land Released Fund, Self and Custom Build Fund) funding
Outcomes include repurposing the public estate for housing, regeneration and other locally supported uses. The LCR Partnership currently manages £2.4m of funding. Below are some of the LCR OPE Partnerships projects:
Land Commission
As part of the LCR Devolution Deal (2015), the LCR has the ability to create a Land Commission, to review how land is best used.
The LCR Land Commission was launched by the Metro Mayor in 2020 and was facilitated by CLES (Centre for Local Economic Strategies). The aim of the Land Commission was to develop creative approaches to the sustainable and economically inclusive use of land, to facilitate the LCR to become the fairest and most socially inclusive city region in the country.
The LCR Land Commission consisted of 13 experts on democratic land reform. This was England’s first Land Commission, which reviewed the use of land for community wealth building.
The LCR Land Commission was published in July 2021 setting out 13 recommendations to improve land use across the City Region.
The LCRCA is currently developing its response to implementing the recommendations.
