ABSTRACT
The Welsh experience of spatial planning post-devolution is intriguing in many respects, not least in the way the Wales Spatial Plan (WSP) is expressly positioned as a vehicle for policy integration and its invention of new Welsh regions. This chapter looks at the Welsh Assembly Government’s approach to policy integration through the lens of People, Places, Future: The Wales Spatial Plan published in 2004 (Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) 2004e). According to its introduction:
This first Wales Spatial Plan is about reflecting honestly and clearly the way a whole range of activity and investment occurs across our particular geographic space and using our knowledge to shape the future. It aims to ensure the Welsh Assembly Government’s policies and programmes come together effectively with the workings of local government, business and other partners across Wales, to enable a truly sustainable future – one that works for all the different parts of Wales. It sets a strategic, integrating agenda for the next 20 years.
