News Release : 30 November 2004

NO INCREASE IN GROWTH WITHOUT INVESTMENT, DECIDES ASSEMBLY

Members of the South East England Regional Assembly this week voted unanimously in favour of putting a 20-year planning vision for the region out to public consultation in the New Year.

Meeting on Monday (29 November) the 111-member Assembly agreed three options on housing growth to be put to the region’s eight million residents. However, members voiced concerns about the commitment from Government to the investment in physical and community infrastructure required to cope with existing build rates, yet alone increased growth. As a result the Assembly decided by a majority vote to scale down the options for future levels of housing development to be put before the public in January.

The Assembly, which includes members of every local authority in the region and business and voluntary sector groups, backed the following homes options for the region:

• 25,500 homes a year (for the next 20 years)
• 28,000 homes a year (for the next 20 years)
• 32,000 homes a year (for the next 20 years)

Consultation, which will run from mid January to mid April 2005, will also ask for views on where new development should be directed. The consultation will include a questionnaire to every household in the region, MORI opinion polls, radio and newspaper campaign and focus groups.

The Plan covers the need for new homes, infrastructure such as roads, schools and hospitals, alongside the need for sustainable development to conserve the region’s environment and natural resources.

Cllr Nick Skellett, Chair of the South East England Regional Assembly said: “After an extensive debate the Assembly concluded that we should consult on a lower range of options for growth. Without certainty on the question of infrastructural investment, we could not see how the higher levels of growth proposed were sustainable. We now want to hear what the public and the region’s stakeholders think.”

Contact

Lesley van Dijk, PR Executive - 01483 555223

Heather Bolton, Head of Communications - 01483 555220

Notes to editors:

1. What does the Plan cover?
1. How much growth do we want?
   The South East is generally prosperous with a good quality of life. A healthy, growing economy offering well-paid jobs needs land for employment, homes and infrastructure.
2. How many new homes are needed?
   Data suggest there will be up to 1 million more people in the region in 20 years. Unless we increase the number of homes, housing is likely to become even dearer and homelessness is likely to rise.
3. What about the environment?
   We need to minimise our impact on the environment by, for example, focusing building on previously developed land, using water and energy more efficiently, reducing the amount of waste we produce, and protecting the countryside.
4. What infrastructure is needed?
   Already many areas suffer from transport congestion and pressure on public services; investment is needed to deal with present needs as well as future growth.
2. What are the arguments for and against more homes?
1. Too few homes may restrict economic growth and job prospects.
2. Too few homes means people may not be able to afford a home of their own.
3. Too many homes may use land unnecessarily and may impact more on the environment.
3. 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.
4. 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).
5. 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