The role of planning in shaping better urban-rural relationships in Bristol City Region

Localism Agenda adopted by Coalition Government in 2010 reflected the rejection of the regional level and the ambition to rebalance national economy, by devolving economic and social responsibilities down to cities and local communities. The introduction of the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) as joint local authority-business bodies in charge of better coordinating public and private investments in several areas of economic develop- ment, has remodelled the governance of British city regions towards their increased autonomy from central government. Among the most relevant spatial impacts of the new institutional arrangement the reshaping of a new relationship between cities and their rural hinterlands emerges. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the planning policies at local and city-regional level dealing with and affecting rural areas in the context of Bristol City Region. It demonstrates that most of the failings of planning in supporting the development of rural areas relate to the rigidity of its policies and to the poor attitude towards the innovation of its tools. The paper argues that a more proactive and integrated approach for planning is needed to re-build stronger agri-food relations and to achieve a more sustainable land use management at city regional level.