Regional Spatial Strategy
27th September 2009
Government Office for the South West
Press Release South West Regional Spatial Strategy
25 September 2009
The way forward for the South West Regional Spatial Strategy
Published: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:00:00
An announcement has been made today regarding the way forward for the South West Regional Spatial Strategy.
Since the Regional Assembly submitted the draft RSS to the Government in June 2006, it has been the subject of extensive public debate and consultation. The full press release can be read in the related documents.
More information on the South West Regional Spatial Strategy can be found on our website on the links below.
PRESS RELEASE
Further Sustainability Appraisal of Regional Spatial Strategy for the South West
The Government has given the go-ahead to a further appraisal of whether proposals for the Regional Spatial Strategy for South West England (SW RSS) are the most sustainable way forward for the Region.
Since the Regional Assembly submitted the draft Regional Spatial Strategy to the Government in June 2006, it has been the subject of extensive public debate and consultation. The Government had expected to issue the final version at the end of June 2009.
In May, the High Court issued a judgment that the Sustainability Appraisal of the East of England Regional Spatial Strategy (EoE RSS) had failed to test reasonable alternatives to two of its proposals, and has remitted those proposals to the Government to reconsider them. In the light of this judgment, the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Government Office for the South West have looked again at the Sustainability Appraisal of the South West Regional Spatial Strategy, and whether they have tested reasonable alternatives to modifications introduced following the Examination in Public (EiP).
The Government wishes to be satisfied that the Sustainability Appraisal of last year’s Proposed Changes to the South West Regional Spatial Strategy tested reasonable alternatives to those Areas of Search for strategic housing, business and other development which were added or amended following consideration of the EiP Panel's report.
It has therefore decided to carry out a new Sustainability Appraisal, to ensure that alternatives to these elements of the proposals are properly tested and represent the most sustainable way forward for the Region. The new Appraisal is expected to take until early in the New Year. The Government has similarly decided to conduct further Sustainability Appraisal of the East of England RSS.
In the light of the Appraisal’s findings, the Government will then decide what action to take to complete the South West Strategy to provide the clarity and certainty about the future framework for growth in the region, which all partners are keen to see.
The South West RSS has reached an advanced stage. Following the Examination in Public (April-July 2007) and receipt of the Panel’s report (December 2007), the Government’s Proposed Changes were published in July 2008. The public consultation on the Proposed Changes attracted an unprecedented number of organisations or individuals - around 35,000 - making representations, mostly objecting to the overall levels of housing growth and to proposals for urban extensions at or near their own locality. It is therefore important that decisions on the strategy are robust.
The EU Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive and related Regulations require that certain types of public plans and strategies are accompanied by a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), which is an assessment of the environmental effects of the plan/strategy. In the UK, the practice is to prepare Sustainability Appraisals (SA), which are wider in scope, assessing the effects on economic and social objectives as well as environmental effects/objectives. It is accepted that these appraisals meet the requirements of the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive and Regulations. One of the requirements is that assessments/appraisals should test reasonable alternatives to the proposals and policies in the plan/strategy.
In May, the High Court ruled in favour of a challenge to the East of England RSS, brought by Hertfordshire County Council that that Sustainability Appraisal failed to test “reasonable alternatives” to specific proposals. The Court has subsequently ordered that the relevant proposals should be remitted back to the Secretary of State to be reconsidered. The South East RSS, published in May 2009, is the subject of 6 High Court challenges, 5 of them citing grounds similar to those in the East of England challenges.
GOSW and CLG have looked again at the Sustainability Assessment process for the South West RSS Proposed Changes in the light of the East of England judgment. Alternative broad strategies and alternatives at a more detailed spatial level formed part of the Sustainability Assessment for the draft RSS. However, the Government Office for the South West and the Department for Communities and Local Government are of the view that there needs to be greater clarity on how the Areas of Search in the sub-regional section of the Proposed Changes perform in sustainability terms relative to reasonable alternatives. This new Sustainability Assessment work should ensure that the Regional Spatial Strategy complies with the SA regulations as the Court has interpreted them. This is of particular significance for the South West Regional Spatial Strategy’s proposals for broad directions of growth at cities and towns'
16th July 2009
On 16 July 2009 Forum received an email, containing an apparently “off the record” comment from the Government Office for the South West:-
1. “There will be an announcement before the end of the Parliamentary term next Tuesday.
2. The GOSW officers will be recommending to John Denham, the Sec. of State:
- a) That the decision on the RSS should be delayed for a year until after the General Election.
- b) The RSS public consultation should then be re-done.
- c) In the meanwhile the Legal Challenges to the E. and S.E. RSSs will be sorted out”.
“Very Good News, but it will mean delays in implementing the Local Development Frameworks”.
We have not as yet had any confirmation on this, but will update this section as soon as we have any news (Secretary)
11th July 2009 - Press Release
DORSET GREEN BELT PROTECTION CONSORTIUM
Dorset CPRE : Terry Stewart : 01202-701637
Keep Corfe Mullen Green : Brian Lane : 01202-656720
Keep West Parley Green : Dick Heaslip : 01202-594982
Keep Wimborne & Colehill Green : Sheila Bourton : 01202-639300
SAVE Lytchett Minster : Michael Tomlinson : 01202-632507
CALM Lytchett Matravers : Martyn Colvey : 01202-631231
Upton Action Group : Simon Thomson : 01202-621574
Throop Muscliff Strouden Townsend and Holdenhurst Area Forum : 01202-301622
NEWS …NEWS …NEWS …NEWS …NEWS
S.W. MPs SUPPORT SUSPENSION REGIONAL PLANS
MPs from across the S.W. Region have issued support for the Commons Environmental Audit Committee in demanding that the Government should suspend implementation of the Regional Strategy Plans until they complete the legally require Environment Assessments:
Martin Horwood, Roger Berry, Dr Liam Fox, Annette Brooke, David Drew, Gary Streeter are the proposing MP's.
SOUTH WEST REGIONAL SPATIAL STRATEGY
"That this House endorses the Save Our Green Spaces campaign manifesto; notes the recommendation from the Environmental Audit Committee that the Government suspend the implementation of its regional spatial strategies until it has carried out and published an environmental appraisal of its house-building targets; further notes the High Court judgement on 20 May 2009 that the previously issued Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England has failed to meet certain requirements of the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive; and therefore calls upon the Government to commit to sequential development to protect the countryside of the South West of England and to reward local authorities for regenerating urban areas, to ensure that the priority for new housing is affordable homes and that these are fully funded; and to reduce the overall number of new houses allocated, which should meet local needs and be provided in tandem with community and social facilities."
“This is marvellous news,” said Terry Stewart, President of Dorset CPRE, “it shows that the Government should have conducted proper Environmental Assessments before dictating that thousands of houses should be built in the S.E. Dorset Green Belt.”
24th June 2009 - Letter Received
The Regional Planning Group has replaced the South West Regional Assembly:-
Bryony Houlden
Chief Executive
Dennett House
11 Middle Street
Taunton
Somerset TA1 1SH
Tel: 01823 270101
Fax: 01823 425200
Dear Local Authority Leaders and Planning Portfolio Holders
Government Delay Region’s Long Term Plan
We are writing to update Leaders and planning portfolio holders that last week it was announced that the final version of the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) will no longer be issued at the end of June 2009 as previously announced.
Following a High Court judgment stating that the plan in the East of England region did not meet certain requirements, the Government have delayed the publication of the South West plan until the potential implications of this ruling are known.
As you will be aware, the draft Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) prepared by the Regional Planning Body (formerly the Regional Assembly now the Strategic Leaders’ Board) was submitted to Government in April 2006, and the draft Strategy has been through several rounds of consultation including an “Examination in Public” inquiry which ran from April - July 2007.
Regional Leaders are clear that their strategy for the South West (as submitted in April 2006) will deliver the new development needed for future prosperity and meet long term housing needs in the most sustainable way. They did not support the extra development proposed by the Minister.
The delay to the publication of the final RSS is disappointing as it means further uncertainty for authorities and other partners.
However, it does give Government further opportunity to reflect on the significance of the scale of growth and change that has been proposed for the South West. Given the slow down of the economy and development as a consequence, it suggests that the position proposed by the region in the draft RSS is a more realistic approach, and also has the benefit of being broadly supported by local authorities and partners in the region when it was submitted.
We are urging the Government to take this opportunity to consider carefully the implications for the South West, but to minimise further delays. The region prepared the draft plan in just two years and submitted it to Government in April 2006, it is disappointing that over three years later we still do not have the final document on which planning decisions for future growth and development can be based.
We will keep you informed of any progress or news as it becomes available.
Yours sincerely
Cllr Angus Campbell
Chairman, Strategic Leaders’ Board
Mike Bawden
Chair of the Regional Planning Group
15th June 2009 - Letter Sent
DORSET GREEN BELT PROTECTION CONSORTIUM
7 ACTION GROUPS & DORSET CPRE FIGHT GREEN VANDALISM
FURTHER DELAYS TO S.W. REGIONAL PLAN
The Government Office for the South West has announced that there will be further delays to the Secretary of State’s approval for the South West Regional Spatial Strategy. The Edict was meant to have been issued in January, but there was a massive 39,000 Objections to the Plan - which caused a major delay to the end of June. But with the resignation of Hazel Blears, and then a successful legal challenge, the Edict has been delayed until probably late October.
Councils challenged the East of England Plan, and the Judge found in their favour that the thousands of houses in the North London Green Belt had not had proper environmental assessment, and inadequate alternatives had been considered. This precedent now throws the S.W. Plan into uncertainty. At the same time, the new Secretary of State, John Denham, has said he wants to review the S.W. Plan and not just rubber stamp it. The Edict will not be issued during the Parliamentary Recess, so is likely to be delayed until October.
“With the General Election looming, the Government will want to review the proposal for a New Town at Lytchett Minster with 7,250 houses in the S.E. Dorset Green Belt,” said Terry Stewart, President of Dorset CPRE, “the level of protest against the proposed environmental vandalism was unprecedented.” Michael Tomlinson, of the Lytchett Minster Action Group said “No Democratic Council asked for the New Town - Democracy has been ignored.” The Dorset Green Belt Protection Consortium held a fighting meeting last night and agreed a resistance Campaign.
All Dorset Councils have promised to legally challenge the Edict when it is finally issued, and Bournemouth Council has already voted the money for the fight. On top of this, the Conservatives have promised that if they win the General Election they will tear up the Regional Plan and scrap all Regional Government.
See attached:
The letter from the Government Office of the South West.
Contacts for more information:
Terry Stewart, Dorset CPRE : 01202-701637.
Bournemouth Cllr. Nick King : 07771-727402.
Keep Corfe Mullen Green : Brian Lane : 01202-656720.
Keep Wimborne Green : Sheila Bourton : 01202-639300.
Keep West Parley Green : Dick Heaslip : 01202-594982.
SAVE Lytchett Minster : Michael Tomlinson : 01202-632507.
SAVE Holdenhurst & Throop : Wendy Sharp : 01202-301622.