Protecting and enhancing our countryside, coast and wildlife are top priorities, the South East England Regional Assembly this week told Examination in Public hearings into the South East Plan - the region's 20 year planning vision.

Key policies in the Plan reflect the critical role of the countryside and environment in quality of life that will attract businesses to the region, encourage tourism and support sustainable farming. The environment is estimated to contribute £8 billion to the region's economy.

The South East Plan promotes better management of land and water resources, including the reduction of pollution and waste, so that we continue to protect and improve our rich, diverse environment. The Assembly is also advocating measures to address climate change throughout the Plan, such as guiding new development to places that offer greater protection from impacts such as flooding, storms and water shortages.

Assembly Chairman, Cllr Keith Mitchell, said:

“The Assembly's ambition is for a healthy South East and this means a healthy environment. We want to protect and improve the South East's important environmental assets such as the Chilterns, North Kent Marshes, the North and South Downs and New Forest National Park.”

He added:

“The green agenda is central to the Plan, as it should be in a region that is 90% undeveloped. However it is not just a case of protecting attractive landscapes, it also means using resources such as water and energy more wisely, turning around the growth in car traffic and challenging airport expansion.”

Topics at the hearing this week:

• Tuesday 16 January
  Biodiversity (region-wide discussion )
• Wednesday 17 January
  Countryside, coast, rural and small towns, and the built environment (region-wide discussion )
• Thursday 18 January
  Sussex Coast - role, economy, housing and infrastructure
• Friday 19 January
  Sussex Coast - housing and infrastructure.

Contacts

Lesley van Dijk, Assembly PR Executive - 01483 555223

Heather Bolton, Assembly Communications Director - 01483 555220

Notes to editors:

1. What is the South East Plan?
   It sets a framework for how the region needs to change through to 2026 - for example to provide the jobs, homes and environmental protection that will make sure we continue to be economically successful and offer all residents a good quality of life. The Plan is based on evidence gathered over three years, with significant input from councils, businesses and community organisations and extensive public comments.
2. Examination in Public
   Four months of public hearings, which started on 28 November, will examine the Assembly's South East Plan. The hearing on Wednesday 6 December will discuss the level of housing. A panel of three independent planning inspectors will hear views on the Plan's content from organisations in the region before making recommendations to Government about any changes they think may be needed.
3. Facts and figures about the Examination in Public
4. The Assembly's statements
5. The South East England Regional Assembly is a regional partnership with 112 members representing local authorities as well as social, environmental and business sectors.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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