DRAFT TRANSPORT STRATEGY FOR THE SOUTH EAST PUBLISHED

Joint announcement from
The South East England Regional Assembly
&
The Government Office for the South East

The South East England Regional Assembly today issues its draft Regional Transport Strategy which will replace the current Regional Transport Strategy set out in Regional Planning Guidance for the South East (RPG9).

The Strategy develops the proposals and policies which will provide the basis for linking transport planning to the economic development, social and other goals of the region.

It is now open to public consultation and comments should be received by 17 April 2003.

The draft has been prepared by the Regional Assembly in its capacity as the regional planning body for the South East. The Regional Assembly sought the views of stakeholders on a consultation draft in the summer of last year. This document was the subject of a sustainability appraisal undertaken by independent consultants.

Paul Bevan, Chief Executive of the Regional Assembly said "the Regional Assembly is delighted to hand over to the Secretary of State for Transport the draft Regional Transport Strategy for his consideration. This substantial piece of work sets out the need to adopt an 'invest and manage' approach to the development of our region's transport system if we are to deliver the economic growth forecast for the region in a more sustainable way. It highlights the importance of continued investment in our infrastructure and the need to encourage a change in attitude to how we use our transport system. We look forward to working with stakeholders to deliver the Strategy's detailed proposals".

Responsibility for finalising this Regional Transport Strategy now lies with the Secretary of State, who is appointing an independent Panel to help him in this process. The Panel will be chaired by Corinne Swain OBE, MA(Cantab), M Phil, FRTPI, and will hold a Public Examination at The Hexagon, Reading, Berkshire, in the week commencing 21 July 2003 to discuss the most significant points.

Contact

Lesley van Dijk, PR Executive - 01483 555223

Alex Butlin, PR Executive - 01483 555221

Notes to editors:

1. The Regional Assembly is the “voluntary regional chamber” for the South East. It was established in January 1999 to give a representative voice to the South East region which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, and Surrey.
2. The Assembly is made up of 111 members including elected councillors nominated by the region’s local authorities and 37 representatives from other sectors of the community (including business, trades unions, education, housing, health, sports, culture, tourism, faith groups, environmental, community and voluntary organisations).
3. The Assembly has three areas of core business:
1. It is the representative voice of the South East, engaging and representing its member organisations and, through them, the wider public.
2. The Assembly has a specific role under the Regional Development Agencies' Act 1998 to ensure the accountability of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to the region.
3. The Assembly has been the Regional Planning Body for the South East since April 2001. It has responsibility for proposing strategic planning and transport policies to Government.

Last updated: 21 August 2007