The South East Plan is a new type of planning document. It sets out a vision for the future of the South East region to 2026, outlining how we need to respond to challenges facing the region such as housing, the economy, transport and protecting the environment.

Our aim is to ensure that the South East remains economically successful and an attractive place to live for future generations.

Final Version Published

Government published the final South East Plan on 6 May 2009. The Plan now:

• Sets a housing target of 32,700 homes a year. Milton Keynes, Reigate and Banstead, Brighton and Hove, and Winchester face slight reductions on targets proposed last year, but this is an overall increase on the 32,000 recommended by inspectors.
• Confirms Green Belt reviews at Oxford and Guildford
• All references to 'minimum' housing numbers have been removed
• Calls for infrastructure delivery programmes to be agreed before major new developments begin.

For more information, see our news release or the Government Office for the South East website.

South East Plan Proposed Changes

In July 2008, more than two years after the Assembly submitted the Plan, the Government launched a public consultation on its proposed changes. Consultation ran from 17 July to 24 October 2008. Further information is available on GOSE's website.
Assembly's Response to the Proposed Changes - 753 KB
Assembly's Summary of the Proposed Changes - 855 KB

Examination in Public and Panel Report

Consultation on behalf of an independent panel of inspectors ran from 31 March until 23 June 2006. The Examination-in-Public ran from 28 November 2006 until 30 March 2007.

The inspectors' report was published by the Government Office for the South East on 29 August 2007. The report in full, a summary and the Assembly's response is available on the Examination-in-Public page.

The Draft South East Plan

The draft South East Plan was submitted to Government on 31 March 2006, following more than two years' development work and final approval by our full Assembly meeting on 1 March 2006.

In addition to the main Plan, the Assembly has also produced a range of technical supporting information and commissioned an independent report on sustainability.

The South East Plan is a full revision of Regional Planning Guidance 9 (RPG9 - the current Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East) to cover the period to 2026. It is not considered a minor amendment of RPG9.

It includes recent partial reviews as already published or with proposed minor amendments:

• Regional Transport Strategy
• Renewable Energy
• Tourism
• Minerals and Waste
• Milton Keynes Growth Area
• Ashford Growth Area

View the Plan to see the full set of six documents submitted to Government, including an Executive Summary and the Core Document setting out regional and sub-regional policies in full.

The South East

The area covered is the South East Region, which comprises the county areas of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex.