Last chance to have your say on the future of the East of England

Less than a month remains for people in the East of England to voice their opinions on plans that will shape the region over the next 20 years. Views are being sought on housing and economic growth while protecting the environment and the quality of life for existing and future residents of the East of England.

These topics form the twelve-week consultation on the East of England Plan > 2031. The Regional Assembly is urging the general public to make their views known before the consultation ends on 24th November. The consultation document is available at: www.eera.gov.uk/What-we-do/developing-regional-strategies/east-of-england-plan/east-of-england-plan-review-to-2031/.

Cllr Derrick Ashley, Chairman of the Regional Planning Panel at the East of England Regional Assembly said: “This is a vital opportunity to get involved in shaping the future development of your locality. The issues being consulted on are critical to creating a more prosperous and sustainable region. We strongly encourage all communities and organisations across the region to have their say”.

“We need to plan for new homes so that first-time buyers, young families and others in housing need can buy or rent a home at a price they can afford. Businesses also need the confidence to invest in our region.

“But we also want to protect the environment and the quality of life for existing and future residents of the East of England. New development must be appropriate and supported by Government investment.

“We will look closely at all the responses to the consultation before publishing a detailed draft plan in March. This plan will propose how and where new homes might be delivered up to 2031.

“Although there may be changes to the planning system in the years ahead, the evidence gathered will be valuable for the continuing need to plan for new jobs and homes.”

The consultation is part of a wider review of the East of England Plan which covers important issues such as transport, the environment, energy and waste as well as new homes.

The revised East of England Plan will not be completed until 2011 and the public will have further opportunities to have their say. It is the responsibility of local councils to determine the exact locations of where new homes should be built through their local development frameworks.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

An information pack on the East of England Plan > 2031 can be viewed at: www.eera.gov.uk/News/public-information-packs

To book a place at the remaining public consultation events on the East of England Plan > 2031, go to http://events.eera.gov.uk/EventDetails.aspx?ID=932

For further information or to arrange an interview with an EERA spokesperson, please contact:

Claire Sefton, Tel: 01284 729427 Mob: 07920257940 Email: Claire.sefton@eera.gov.uk

Stephen Hinchley, Tel: 01284 729430, Mob: 07710 312237, Email: stephen.hinchley@eera.gov.uk
East of England Plan
The long-term planning framework for the sustainable development of the region is provided by the East of England Plan (Regional Spatial Strategy). The East of England Plan provides the basis for local authorities to prepare their local development plans and for other organisations to plan their investment e.g. NHS, Highways Agency, water companies etc.

The current East of England Plan[1] sets out regional planning policy to 2021 but many councils are already preparing local plans stretching to 2026 and beyond. A focused review of the East of England Plan is therefore needed to set out regional planning policy from 2011 to 2031. It will plan for the region’s growth and prosperity, housing needs and respond to issues such as climate change.

The review of the East of England Plan will be completed in 2011. There will be public consultation at key stages of the process to enable members of the public and others to contribute. The review will consider:
· jobs and homes targets for 2011-2031 including affordable homes;
· broad locations for new development;
· regional infrastructure needs e.g. transport;
· targets to reduce the use of natural resources (energy, water) and greenhouse gas emissions;
· priorities for the environment such as the countryside and biodiversity protection.

In undertaking the East of England Plan 2031, the Assembly will be working closely with the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and the Government Office for the East of England (GO-East).
East of England Regional Assembly
1. The East of England Regional Assembly is independent of Government and is not a Government agency or quango. It represents the regional interests of people living and working in the East of England.

2. The Assembly has 96 members of which two thirds are elected councillors (from the 52 local authorities in the region) and one third are stakeholder representatives. Its meetings are open to the media and general public.

3. The Assembly is the designated Regional Planning Body for the East of England until March 2010 when it will cease to exist.

4. During 2008/09 EERA’s work included:
£1 billion bid for investment in public transport and roads across the region including final stretch of A11 dualling
Campaigned against a second runway at Stansted Airport
Held EEDA to account at six Economic Summits
Influenced European funding programmes worth £500 million to support employment, skills, climate change and low carbon economic growth
Delivery of 328 training courses to develop thousands of local authority employees and councillors in the region
For more information on EERA, see the website at www.eera.gov.uk

East of England Regional Planning Panel
Cllr Derrick Ashley (Chairman of RPP), Conservative, 01992 556571
Cllr Alan Crystall (Panel Group Leader), Liberal Democrat, 01702 474047
Cllr Roy Davis (Panel Group Leader), Labour, 01582 730939
Corrine Meakins (Panel Group Leader), Community Stakeholder, 07960 189994