IT'S NOT JUST HOUSES AND GROWTH AREAS, SAYS ASSEMBLY

IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THE FORTHCOMING GOVERNMENT ACTION PLAN on sustainable communities gives solid guarantees on investment in the community and transport infrastructure required alongside new housing developments. This was the message from the South East England Regional Assembly's Executive Committee meeting last Friday.

It is equally essential that the 'communities plan' looks beyond the designated growth areas in the South East to those parts of the region where the crisis in the supply of affordable housing is most acute.

Cllr Nick Skellett, Chair of the Regional Assembly said: "The Deputy Prime Minister's statement on housing investment in the South East was promised before Christmas and we are still waiting for it. I hope that when it finally emerges we don't find that Government departments have fought shy of making serious investment commitments to the public service infrastructure required if new large scale housing is really going to be sustainable."

The statement will also have to do more than focus on the Thames Gateway, Ashford, Milton Keynes and Stansted. Cllr Skellett continued: "While these are areas of real opportunity, the biggest problem spots for affordable housing are those that are the most successful economically - such as the Thames Valley, Surrey and Hampshire. There is a danger that the DPM's plan will not deliver affordable housing where it is most needed in the South East."

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