The South East economy is performing well and the region is building enough homes to sustain growth without destroying the environment, shows a new report by the South East England Regional Assembly.

The region built 33,300 homes in 2005/06 and maintained economic success above the UK average, measured by the amount each person contributes to the economy. At the same time, exceeding Government's 60% target, the region built three quarters of its new homes, offices and leisure developments on previously used land, reducing the need for greenfield building.

Figures come from the Assembly's annual Regional Monitoring Report, which tracks how well the region is performing against housing, economic, transport and environment targets. The report also shows 7,000 affordable homes were grant funded by the Housing Corporation in 2005/06, up from 6,700 the previous year.

Cllr Keith Mitchell, Chairman of the South East England Regional Assembly, said:

"The South East delivers great economic performance year-on-year contributing £11 billion to Treasury last year. The region exceeded the target for new build on re-used land and evidence shows that new homes and other developments are supporting our thriving economy.

"Affordable housing is up too but we still need to do more. The region needs more affordable homes of the right size and type to meet family needs and reach the proposed target of 10,000 homes each year in the South East Plan."

New building

Highlights include:

• 20 councils built 100% of their commercial development on re-used land eg Swale, Brighton and Hove, West Berkshire, Portsmouth, Southampton, Mole Valley, Wycombe
• On average 38 homes were built per hectare, making better use of land and exceeding the target of 30 homes per hectare
• 79% of town development completed was for retail, 19% for offices and 2% for leisure use
• The three quarters of development on re-used land includes 79% of homes and 68% of commercial and leisure developments.

Economic facts

• £4.2 billion was spent by tourists in the region
• The banking, finance and insurance sector has the highest economic output in the South East contributing 30% to the region's economic productivity. A further 17% comes from the distribution, hotel and restaurant sector
• The distribution, hotel and restaurant sector has the largest percentage of employees at 24%
• On average each person in the region contributes £18,500 a year to the economy.

Contacts

Lesley van Dijk, Assembly PR Executive - 01483 555223

Heather Bolton, Assembly Communications Director - 01483 555220

Notes to editors:

1. The Monitoring Report 2006 is the fifth annual monitoring report produced by the Regional Assembly. It monitors progress against policies set out in the current regional spatial strategy (RPG9) and objectives in the Integrated Regional Framework (IRF).
   
   
2. The areas covered by the report include: quality of life, the environment, the economy, housing, transport, infrastructure and minerals.
   
   
3. The Assembly is a partnership of councils and communities in the South East region. It was established in January 1999 to give a representative voice to the region, which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire and Surrey.
   
   
4. The 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.
   
   
5. The Assembly has six roles:
1. Regional Planning
   preparing and delivering the South East Plan
2. Regional Housing
   the Regional Housing Board decides housing investment priorities
3. Regional Transport
   the Regional Transport Board decides transport investment priorities
4. Advocacy
   pressing the South East's interests in London and Brussels
5. Accountability
   scrutinising SEEDA's plans and impact
6. Alignment
   co-ordinating regional policies and decisions.

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