The South East Plan

On 6th July 2010 the Secretary of State withdrew all Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) from the planning policy framework. The RSS for Aylesbury Vale was the South East Plan (SEP) and within this, housing targets were set. Following its withdrawal, this meant housing targets (as contained in SEP), were no longer valid and as such did not form part of the planning policy framework.

However, the decision by government to withdraw the RSS has been legally challenged by Cala Homes property developers and on 10 November 2010, a High Court decision concluded that the Secretary of State did not have the power to withdraw all RSS's. This means the SEP has now been restored and once again forms part of the planning policy framework. It should be noted, however that the government have made clear their intentions to abolish regional strategies. We are awaiting further information.

What is the role of the South East Plan?
The South East Plan sets out a vision for the future of the South East region to 2026, outlining how to respond to challenges facing the region such as housing, the economy, transport and protecting the environment.

The aim is to ensure that the South East remains economically successful and an attractive place to live for future generations. The area covered by the plan 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. The SEP contains housing figures and other planning policies for the whole of the south east, including Aylesbury Vale. It provides the context for the preparation of the Aylesbury Vale Local Development Framework, which will eventually replace the local plan.

The South East Plan includes spatial policies for:
• The scale and distribution of new housing
• Priorities for new infrastructure and economic development
• The strategy for protecting countryside, biodiversity and the built historic environment
• Tackling climate change and safeguarding natural resources, for example water and minerals.

The plan also incorporates the Regional Transport Strategy, to be supported by an implementation plan. It incorporates policy stemming from partial reviews of RPG9 carried out since 2001 and incorporates the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy, March 2005. Government published the final South East Plan on 6th May 2009.

The plan sets out:
• Housing targets 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.
• Confirmed 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.

Consultation on the strategic policies in the emerging plan took place between January and April 2005. Further consultation on the district-level housing allocations took place in autumn 2005.An updated and consolidated draft of the plan was submitted formally to the government and was subject to further public consultation between March and June 2006. A public examination into the plan was undertaken by an independent panel in autumn 2006 and spring 2007 and subsequently, a panel report was published in July 2007. Government published its response to this report in the summer of 2008. The Final Plan was then published in May 2009.

Date Updated: 29/11/10