Regional spatial strategy is dead – Tory MP

The Conservative MP for Gloucester Richard Graham has claimed that the previous government's regional spatial strategy is “dead” and that the planning powers currently held by regional development agencies will be returned to local authorities by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Instead, Mr Graham suggested that, in his area, there would be new emphasis on building houses on brownfield land rather than greenfield, as envisaged by Gloucestershire's regional spatial strategy which required 56,000 houses to be built in the county by 2026.

Speaking to the Gloucestershire Echo, he said: "There's no way we are going to push ahead with the regional spatial strategy. The RSS for the South West is dead. What we want is the planning powers returned to Gloucestershire."

According to the newspaper, his comments were confirmed by an “insider” at the DCLG, who said "We expect the new Secretary of State will move forward very quickly on scrapping the regional tier of government, which means housing targets and the spatial strategies."