The future for eight million citizens

The Draft South East Plan, a 20-year planning vision for the region, will be submitted to Government on Friday 31 March following over two years of work by the South East England Regional Assembly and its partners. The Plan maps out the needs of the South East’s eight million citizens to 2026, covering housing, jobs, transport and the environment. It will also set the framework for councils to prepare local plans.

The Plan sets out proposals to ensure a successful economy, protect our environment and deliver a high quality of life for everyone. Objectives include:

• Building an annual average of 28,900 homes in the next 20 years
• 35% affordable housing across the region (some 10,000 affordable homes a year)
• High design standards for new homes including a strong emphasis on energy efficiency
• Improving water efficiency and resources
• Investing in better public transport
• Better transport access to international and regional gateways
• Protecting wildlife and woodlands, and reducing pollution
• Promoting recycling, re-use and reduction of waste
• Improving workforce skills and helping poorer areas become more economically successful.

Chairman of the Assembly, Cllr Keith Mitchell, said: “We must ensure that our region continues to prosper and offer a good quality of life. The South East Plan creates a blueprint for the region’s development. It also includes an action plan for delivery and sets out our need for investment in better infrastructure. I believe we have risen to the challenges of planning for all our futures. It has been a challenging but rewarding past two years. This is an important piece of work as the Plan influences the future of every man, woman and child.”

The Assembly’s public consultation on the draft South East Plan, held early last year, was the most extensive regional planning consultation ever held in the UK. This also involved intensive engagement with stakeholders across the region.

Further public consultation on the draft Plan, on behalf of an independent panel of inspectors, runs from 31 March to 23 June 2006. Details on how to respond are in the consultation section of the South East Plan website..

Contacts

Lesley van Dijk, Assembly PR Executive - 01483 555223

Heather Bolton, Assembly Communications Director - 01483 555220

Notes to editors:

1. PHOTOS available of the Assembly presenting the South East Plan to Government.
2. Send consultation responses to the Independent Panel of Inspectors by 5.00pm on Friday 23 June 2006.
   Contact:
   Mrs Sue Morgan, Panel Secretary
   Bridge House, RSS EIP South East
   1 Walnut Tree Close
   Guildford, GU1 4GA
   01483 885256
   response@eipsoutheast.co.uk
   www.eipsoutheast.co.uk (live on Monday 3 April)
3. The full Draft South East Plan (March 2006) submitted to Government includes:
   1. Executive Summary
   2. The Core Document, including regional and sub-regional policies
   3. Implementation Plan
   4. Monitoring Framework
   5. Sustainability Appraisal summary
   6. Pre-submission Consultation Statement
   
   To view the Plan, see the South East Plan websiite.
4. Timetable and the process of the South East Plan
   Further information on the process of the preparation of the Plan is outlined below as well as the process up to the Examination-in-Public into the draft Plan.
   
   July 2003 - December 2004
   • Preparation of the draft South East Plan: research, workshops, opinion polling, policy drafting
   
   January - April 2005
   • Public consultation on the initial draft of the Plan
   
   January - Summer 2005
   • Continuing work on the sub-regional details
   
   Summer - December 2005
   • Public consultation and further work by local authorities on the sub-regional details of the draft Plan. This included housing allocations to district council areas
   
   January - March 2006
   • 1 March - Assembly Plenary agreed the Plan
   • 31 March - Submission of draft South East Plan to Secretary of State
   
   March 2006 - June 2006
   • 31 March 2006 - 23 June 2006 - Public consultation on the submitted South East Plan on behalf of an independent panel of inspectors
   
   July 2006 – September 2006
   • Preparing for the Examination-in-Public
   • 7 September 2006 - 1st Preliminary Meeting
   
   October 2006 – March 2007
   • 17 October 2006 - 2nd Preliminary Meeting
   • 23 October 2006 - Publication of Final List of Matters to be discussed at the Examination-in-Public and considered by an independent panel
   • 9 November 2006 - Statements submitted to panel (organisations’ responses to the questions posed by the Panel)
   • 27 November 2006 - South East Plan Examination-in-Public begins
   • 27 November 2006 - 15 December 2006 - South East Plan Examination-in-Public - Regional Matters - Woking
   • 15 January 2007 - 26 January 2007 - South East Plan Examination-in-Public - Sub-Regional Matters - Chichester (South Hampshire, Sussex Coast, Isle of Wight)
   • 5 February 2007 - 15 February 2007 - South East Plan Examination-in-Public - Sub-Regional Matters - Maidstone (East Kent & Ashford, Kent Thames Gateway)
   • 26 February 2007 - 9 March 2007 - South East Plan Examination-in-Public - Sub-Regional Matters - Reading (Gatwick, London Fringe, Western Corridor, Oxfordshire and Milton Keynes & Aylesbury Vale)
   
   Summer 2007
   • End of June 2007 – Examination-in-Public Panel reports
   
   Autumn 2007
   • 21 September 2007 - Publication of Proposed Changes published by the Secretary of State
   • 21 September 2007 - 14 December 2007 - Consultation on Proposed Changes
   
   Winter 2007 / 2008
   • 29 February 2008 - Revised South East Plan due to be published

About the South East England Regional Assembly

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:
• It is the representative voice of the South East, engaging and representing its member organisations and, through them, the wider public.
• 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.
• 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