News Release : 6 December 2005

INFRASTRUCTURE MESSAGE GETS THROUGH

The South East England Regional Assembly has cautiously welcomed Government’s recognition of the importance of infrastructure investment if substantial housing growth is to be achieved.

Ministers last night announced a package of measures to support Government aims to increase housing, as set out in the Chancellor’s Pre-Budget Report. Key elements are:

• Government’s desire to increase house building nationally from the current 150,000 homes to 200,000 a year
  
  
• Consultation on a Planning Gain Supplement to fund essential local infrastructure needs
  
  
• Section 106 would continue in a reduced form, for example to fund affordable housing
  
  
• Planning reform to ensure housing need and land supply are strong drivers of delivery.

Assembly Chairman Cllr Keith Mitchell said: “At last our message on infrastructure seems to be getting through to the Government. We cannot contemplate continued economic and population growth in the South East without dramatically stepping up investment in social and physical infrastructure. However, the new Planning Gain Supplement requires a balancing act – it must be adequate to meet reasonable needs but not so high that it chokes off the supply of land. Also, as a national tax we need to ensure the great majority of funds reach local councils.”

An additional concern is that the new infrastructure proposals do not explain how the serious backlog of investment in major road and rail schemes will be funded.

The infrastructure ‘carrot’, however, comes alongside a ‘cosh’ in the form of proposals that will require the planning process to respond to market forces.

Cllr Mitchell added: “This is a painful cosh. The planning process contains important environmental safeguards and a strong local democratic element. Too much exposure to market pressures threatens the quality of our environment. This needs very careful watching.”

Cllr Mitchell also warned that the Assembly would fight arbitrary increases in housebuilding imposed by ministers, having undertaken extensive research and public consultation to arrive at the housing targets in its own South East Plan.

“You do not make homes more affordable simply by boosting supply”, said Cllr Mitchell. “Housing markets are more complicated than the Government pretends. We have arrived at house building targets through the proper planning process and expect a robust debate with the Government at the Public Examination of the South East Plan next year.”

The annual average provision of 28,900 homes in the draft South East Plan is based on sound technical evidence and extensive consultation with the public and stakeholders. In the Plan the Assembly is seeking to balance economic, social and environmental needs to deliver communities that are truly sustainable. Simply adding more housing without infrastructure and economic development risks increasing congestion and service shortages to the detriment of quality of life, environment and competitiveness in the region.

Contacts

Lesley van Dijk, PR Executive - 01483 555223

Heather Bolton, Head of Communications - 01483 555220

Notes to editors:

1. The South East England 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 Regional Assembly is made up of 112 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) as well as the New Forest National Park Authority..
   
   
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

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