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Decision details

Thames Valley Spatial Development Strategy (SDS)

Decision Maker: Executive

Decision status: Recommendations Approved (subject to call-in)

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Decisions:

Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, presented the item, the purpose of which was to seek Executive resolution to note, to participate in, and help lead, a joint Thames Valley partnership with councils covering Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Swindon, with an option for Buckinghamshire, to progress the pre-inception phase of work for a Thames Valley Spatial Development Strategy (SDS).

 

In his presentation Councillor Graham made the following points:

 

  • There was a duty on designated strategic planning authorities to prepare SDSs.
  • SDSs were intended to be high-level strategic plans that set out the scale and broad distribution of development and associated infrastructure across multiple planning authority areas.
  • It was overdue that such joined-up thinking across geographical areas was taking place, particularly with regard to road networks that crossed districts.
  • The paper outlined the key activities that were being progressed, the objectives and the deliverables for the period.
  • The paper proposed that participating councils contribute £50,000 from April 2027 onwards towards the cost of the scheme and explained that this was often a function of such partnership working. There would be Leader representation from each partner authority participating.

 

Councillor Graham proposed accepting the recommendations in the report.

 

Councillor Liz Leffman, Executive Member for Planning and Infrastructure,  seconded the proposals and noted that it was important to see a joined-up approach to the planning of housing and infrastructure and added that she hoped Buckinghamshire would choose to participate in the scheme due to commonalities between the participators and that county, not least the East-West rail corridor and visitor economies.

 

Councillor Andrew Prosser, Executive Member for Climate Action and Nature Recovery, commented that with the imminent Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), where many were nervous about the future of democratic oversight, he would prefer to see such schemes in a regional strategic authority which he hoped would progress in the period of the scheme.

 

The proposals were put to the vote and were agreed unanimously.

 

The Executive resolved to:

  1. Note the establishment of a partnership with the councils covering Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Swindon to develop a statutory Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) for the Thames Valley area (as detailed in section 4 of the report).
  2. Note the draft indicative funding and resource allocations for the pre-inception programme.
  3. Note that Bracknell Forest Council will act as the accountable body for funds received/held on behalf of the partnership and will host any staff appointed for the Thames Valley SDS programme.
  4. Note the interim governance and oversight, monitoring and assurance arrangements set out in this paper, including arrangements for the period before a statutory Strategic Planning Board (SPB) is established through secondary legislation.
  5. Note the working arrangements for development of the SDS.
  6. Delegate the detail agreements and working arrangements for pre-inception development of the SDS to the Director of Governance and Regulatory Services in consultation with the Executive Member for Planning and Infrastructure.
  7. Note that that the Director of Governance and Regulatory Services will provide regular updates at key stages.

Report author: Phil Martin

Publication date: 17/07/2026

Date of decision: 15/07/2026

Decided at meeting: 15/07/2026 - Executive

Date comes into force if not called in: 25/07/2026

Call-in deadline date: 24/07/2026

Current call-in Count: 0

Accompanying Documents:

 

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