Economic growth in South East England does not need to come at the expense of the environment or quality of life as long as investment for essential infrastructure is available. This was the message from the South East England Regional Assembly's Infrastructure Summit in Reading on Friday (29 September). At the Summit the region presented a detailed audit of its needs and areas where behaviour change can reduce the call on natural resources.

The Summit brought together stakeholders and opinion formers from around the South East to hear the latest progress in delivering the South East Plan - the 20-year planning vision for the region.

Attendees received the latest version of the Implementation Plan (for the South East Plan) which sets out the case for investment of between £38bn and £47bn over the next 20 years.

Cllr Keith Mitchell, Assembly Chairman, said:

"The Implementation Plan is leading edge and represents the first thorough audit of infrastructure needs to support planned growth - a 'Domesday Book' for our time. Over the 20 years of the South East Plan, the funding gap is only £200-400m a year. The South East is the economic engine room for the whole country. With a relatively modest investment the Government would increase the region's net contribution to the Exchequer (estimated last year at £11bn) and so get a higher return for the UK."

Cllr Mitchell added:

“This Implementation Plan reflects people's fears over growth and sets out how it can be managed in a sustainable way. It will stop the pace of growth being forced. It is also the tool that will mean the South East Plan is not consigned to a dusty shelf and forgotten about. It is an invaluable first step to raise the level of debate and identify concrete actions for sustainable growth”.

The Summit also heard that residents in the South East need to be encouraged to change their behaviour to increase sustainability. This includes the way we use and dispose of resources. Martin Tugwell, the Assembly Planning Implementation Director, said:

“When people understand the impact of their actions, they are willing to change. We saw that in July when water use went down despite being the hottest month of the year, because people understood that water is a finite resource.”

The Summit heard presentations from consultants Oxera on utilities, Hewdon on Planning Gain Supplement and ERM on climate change and also Cllr Isobel McCall, the Leader of Milton Keynes Council on funding infrastructure in a Growth Area.

Contacts

Alistair Moses, Assembly PR Executive - 01483 555221

Heather Bolton, Assembly Communications Director - 01483 555220

Notes to editors:

1. The latest version of the Implementation Plan and presentations from the Summit are available on the South East Plan website.
2. The South East England Regional Assembly is a regional partnership with 112 members representing local authorities as well as social, environmental and business sectors.
3. The Assembly was established by South East local government in January 1999 to provide a representative voice for the region, which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire and Surrey.
4. Assembly members include elected councillors from the region's 74 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.
5. The Assembly has four key roles:
• Advocacy
  Pressing the South East's interests in London and Brussels.
• Accountability
  Scrutinising the plans and performance of regional bodies such as SEEDA to align the region's priorities.
• Regional planning
  Preparing and delivering the South East Plan - the 20-year statutory plan for the region that sets the framework for the sustainable development of the South East.
• Regional policy
  Advising Government on the co-ordination of regional strategies and spending priorities for housing, transport, planning and economic development to improve the impact of public expenditure.

Our vision is for a distinctive, outward-looking, accessible region of prosperous, sustainable communities, with a high quality of life and environment.

Last updated: 21 August 2007