This Bulletin reports the main issues covered at the Assembly Plenary of 1 March 2006.

SOUTH EAST PLAN

The draft South East Plan was agreed for submission to Government by an overwhelming majority of the Assembly. There was one abstention and one vote against submission. The Plan will be submitted to Government on 31 March 2006. However before submission the Plan will be amended as follows:

1. To insert an additional sentence, after the first sentence, of Policy SH6: ‘Particular attention needs to be given to the provision of new business floor space in Gosport where job density at 0.57% is the lowest in the South East region and the volume of out-commuting seriously exceeds the transport capacity of the Gosport peninsula.’ Proposed by Cllr Peter Langdon, Gosport Borough Council.
2. To redraw the boundary of the Western Corridor and Blackwater Valley (WCBV) sub-region to exclude the small part of South Oxfordshire district that is currently included within the sub-region. Proposed by Mrs Ann Ducker, South Oxfordshire District Council.
3. To add a footnote alongside Adur’s housing growth allocation figure of 2,600 ‘This figure includes 500 dwelling at Shoreham Harbour, as part of the strategic regeneration of the Port’. Proposed by Cllr Liza McKinney, Adur District Council.
4. To add to policy WCBV3 ‘In the event that the uncertainties in relation to the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area cannot be resolved during work currently underway by the Assembly, the affected authorities and English Nature, that both the scale of the housing allocation for this sub-region and its distribution between the area's local authorities will be fundamentally reviewed from first principles.’ Proposed by Cllr Mrs Mary Ballin, Bracknell Forest Borough Council.
5. That the definition of ‘Green Infrastructure’ in the Implementation Plan be amended to the following: ‘Green infrastructure includes outdoor recreational and sports facilities, parks, gardens and allotments, tracks and pathways, natural and historic sites, canals and water spaces, as well as accessible countryside. It is a network of multi-functional green spaces in urban areas, the countryside in and around towns, and the wider countryside.’
6. Assembly officers are required to ensure that:

• An ‘Appropriate Assessment’ of the South East Plan is undertaken to ensure that the process of preparing the Plan complies with European legislation on the protection of biodiversity (including in particular the October 2005 European Court judgment concerning the assessment of land use plans)
• The results of this Appropriate Assessment are publicly available, so that they may be taken into account in the preparation for the Examination in Public of the South East Plan.

5 and 6 proposed by Ian Hepburn, Chris Corrigan and Lucy Young, South East Forum for Sustainability (SEFS).

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

Assembly Chairman Cllr Keith Mitchell reported to the Assembly on the following areas:

Local government finance settlement
Cllr Mitchell felt that the united voice offered by the Assembly had been useful in persuading Government to allocate more resources.

Regional Funding Allocations (RFA)
Cllr Mitchell paid tribute to those involved in the challenging task of preparing this advice. The RFA submission prioritises the region’s spending on economic development, housing and transport. It makes a strong case for the South East to receive more than an average of £770m a year to enable it to create a new regional infrastructure fund.

The Regional Housing Board
The Assembly is ready for transfer in April, ahead of minister’s planned September timetable. Transfer is expected to take place with the existing membership.

Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3)
It is felt that many elements within Draft PPS3 are complex and impractical and would make it much more difficult for the planning system to balance the full range of environmental, social and economic considerations. In a letter to ODPM, the Assembly has urged that ODPM reconsiders a number of proposals set out in PPS3.

Planning Gain Supplement
The Assembly supports, in principle, the proposals to introduce a Planning Gain Supplement as a specific response to the long-standing inadequacy of infrastructure funding for planned growth. Support, however, is subject to the resolution of concerns about its operation, particularly that money raised locally would be spent locally.

RES CONSULTATION

Pam Alexander, SEEDA Chief Executive, reported on the progress of the draft Regional Economic Strategy (RES). The consultation closed on 17 February 2006. The next draft will be published in early April and presented at the Assembly Plenary in July before final approval by the SEEDA board. It will be presented to DTI later in 2006. Pam Alexander’s presentation is available in the documents from the plenary meeting.

Two resolutions were passed by the Assembly regarding the RES:

The first expressed concern about the consistency with the South East Plan. ‘While there is a great deal of complementarity between the ambitions of the two documents the Regional Assembly is concerned about the inclusion of housing figures in the RES that are different from those agreed by the Regional Assembly for inclusion in the South East Plan. The Regional Assembly would remind SEEDA that the South East Plan is the key statutory strategy responsible for setting housing targets for the region; it is the role of the South East Plan to set housing targets not the RES. The Regional Assembly therefore calls on SEEDA to ensure that any housing figures included in the RES are consistent with those agreed in the draft South East Plan.’

The second covered concerns about the implications of the Aviation White Paper for the region. ‘The Regional Assembly does not consider that it would be appropriate at the present time to include proposals for further expansion at either Heathrow or Gatwick in the South East Plan or Regional Economic Strategy beyond those already provided for under planning agreements. The Regional Assembly therefore disagrees with the view expressed in the draft RES that ‘continued growth of Heathrow and Gatwick in line with the Future of Aviation White Paper is fundamental to the economic success of the region.’ The Regional Assembly calls on SEEDA to reconsider this position and to ensure that, on this issue, the RES is consistent with the expressed view of the Regional Assembly.’

Both resolutions were proposed by Cllr Keith Mitchell, Assembly Chairman and Leader of Oxfordshire County Council.

BUSINESS PLAN AND BUDGET

Members agreed a budget for South East England Regional Assembly of £4,159,165 for 2006/2007. They also endorsed the organisation’s three year business plan, which sets out objectives and targets for the organisation through to 2008/2009.

The business plan is available from the following link

RPC CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

Cllr Christine Field, Chairman of the Regional Planning Committee, reported on the work of the RPC since the Assembly’s last Plenary meeting.

Major topics discussed included Assembly responses to Government consultations:

• Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3): Housing
• Planning Gain Supplement (PGS)
• Planning Policy Statement 25 (PPS25): Development and Flood Risk
• Proposals for Introducing a Code for Sustainable Homes.

More information on the business of the RPC and full papers are available in the meetings section. The Chairman's report is available in the plenary meeting documents.

THE STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Howard Davidson, Southern Region Director of the Environment Agency, reported to members on the State of the Region’s Environment.

The Environment Agency prepare an annual report including key facts, an environmental assessment, a list of environmental pressures and statement of what needs to be done.

He addressed water resources, stressing the importance of separating growth from drought in planning. He said droughts would always happen but we can cope if we plan, for example by improving water efficiency in new buildings, changing behaviour to reduce water use and investing in reservoirs.

Howard Davidson concluded that the region has a high quality but fragile environment. Some good progress has been made, for example industrial emissions have reduced and household recycling has increased. He highlighted growing pressures and asked for the environment to be at the forefront of policy and planning.

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Last updated: 21 August 2007