Did you know?

South East England is approximately 19,090 km2 in size and is one of the largest English regions.


The South East had the largest population of any English Region, at 8,122,200 in 2004. The population increased by an estimated 1.3% between 2001 and 2004 - slightly below the average for England.


The majority of people in the South East like living in their local area. Almost 9 out of ten residents say they are satisfied with their area as a place to live, including 40% who say they are very satisfied. Just 5% say they are dissatisfied.

The South East Plan

Welcome to the South East Plan section of the South East England Regional Assembly website.

South East Plan published

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.

The 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.

Examination in Public

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 View Inspectors’ Report page.

Proposed changes to the Plan

The Secretary of State has yet to publish her proposed changes to the South East Plan - two years after the Regional Assembly submitted it. Originally expected in early 2008 the delay was announced by CLG Minister Parmjit Dhanda in February: “The Secretary of State's proposed changes to the draft regional spatial strategy (RSS) for the South East will be published for consultation later this year. It is difficult, at this stage, to commit to a precise publication date for the proposed changes given the complexity of the issues involved. Our aim, as it stands now, is to publish the proposed changes before the summer recess” (22nd July).

The Secretary of State will make a statement to the House of Commons when proposed changes are being published.

Government will then undertake a full 12-week public consultation to provide an opportunity to make representations on the proposed changes.

Subject matter and area covered by the South East Plan

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 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.

Copyright © 2004 SEERA Limited. All rights reserved.