The City Council is working to produce its Core Strategy. This is a Development Plan which will outline the approach to planning for the new housing, shops, workplaces and community facilities to be built over the next twenty years.

The Core Strategy will also include a number of ‘development principles’. These are policies which will apply to new development proposals across the city. They will address the key issues faced by Bristol such as climate change, affordable housing and the provision of infrastructure to support new development.

The ‘Draft Development Principles’ document seeks comments on these emerging policies.

To capture public views on the emerging policies so that they inform the version of the Core Strategy to be published in Autumn 2009 and submitted to the Secretary of State in early 2010 for examination.

Results from the consultation will be used to inform the ‘Publication’ version of the Core Strategy, expected to be published in Autumn 2009. Publication is the final stage of its preparation before it is submitted to the Secretary of State for examination.

Representations on the Core Strategy can be made at the Publication stage.  The planning inspector appointed to assess the soundness of the Core Strategy will consider those representations. 

If found sound, the Core Strategy, including any changes made by the inspector, will be adopted by the council. This is expected to be in late 2010.