Our campaign against south west regional plans for massive growth has moved on apace, and we have scored a major victory. We knew we did not have the resources to put up an effective case against the region, so our strategy was to get local Councils to oppose the plans. South Gloucestershire and North Somerset were not happy with the scale of the growth but were going along with Bristol City Council, which was more enthusiastic.

We collected 1465 signatures for our petition and got extensive press and media coverage for our campaign. We have never had so much public support for a campaign. We talked to MPs and Councillors and produced a report and a website. Plans like these, the size of a phone book, and about as readable, do not get normally get noticed by the public until it is too late. This time we managed to create a fuss.

On 17 July, the Cabinet of South Gloucestershire Council agreed to set aside £130,000 to oppose the plans. This is a major change of policy for them. The £130,000 will pay for some high-powered consultancy to put up a good case. This is a major victory for Friends of the Earth and gives us a real chance that the plans will be changed next year.

We handed in the petition as South Gloucestershire FoE's response to the regional plans before the period of public consultation ended at the end of August. Mike Birkin, as regional FoE campaigner, has submitted a response on behalf of all FoE groups in the south west, focusing on climate change and the policies that could make future development more sustainable. We expect he will be invited to give evidence at the Examination in Public (EiP) in Exeter in April next year.

Alan Pinder

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