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Planning, building and the environment

Further consultation on vital East Midlands regional plan

Published	22 July 2008

A 12 week consultation on the East Midland's vision to tackle climate change, address housing shortages and strengthen the region's economy was launched by the Government Office for the East Midlands today (22 July 2008).

Following a rigorous independent public examination proposed changes to the East Midlands Regional Plan were published today. There will now be a public consultation of 12 weeks on the changes.

Once finalised the draft East Midlands Regional Plan will form part of the statutory development plan for every local planning authority in the East Midlands and provide a framework for development and investment across the region up to 2026. Proposals in the draft Plan include:

• A 3.4 per cent increase in housing provision compared to the draft Regional Plan. This will require an average of 21,750 new homes to be built each year up to 2026, ie a regional total of 527,725 homes, to address housing shortages and affordability issues in the region. The latest household projections forecast around 22,100 new households will form in the region every year up to 2026.
• The region will benefit from growth in most parts of the region, particularly in areas supported by New Growth Point funding. This includes the Three Cities Growth Point around Derby, Leicester and Nottingham (already allocated £37m), around Lincoln (£8.2m), Newark (£4.2m) and Grantham (£5.5m). Though not included in the current Regional Plan review Gainsborough has also just been identified as a New Growth Point and will now be eligible to bid for further growth funding.
• Targets for new affordable housing provision increased to 168,400 - around 32 per cent of the overall provision.
• Rejection of the Panel's recommendation to scrap much of the Green Belt around Nottingham.
• Removal of site specific references to urban extension locations around Nottingham, Leicester and Lincoln.
• Restraint proposed in Lincolnshire coastal districts while issues related to flood risks are considered in more detail.
• New pitch requirements are also proposed to accommodate Gypsies and Travellers.

There are several eco-town proposals currently under consideration within the region. As these are still at an early stage they are not included in the current review of the Regional Plan. If successful, eco-town proposals will need to be considered as part of the next RSS review which will take the Plan up to 2031 and will take account of new population and housing projections.

Growth plans for Northamptonshire, which is part of the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Growth Area, were not revised in this review of the Regional Plan except to extend the plan period to 2026 and slightly increasing housing figures in Northampton. £59m of Growth Area funding has already been agreed by the Government for Northamptonshire over the next three years (2008-2011). Growth Areas and Growth Points in the East Midlands are also eligible to apply to the Government's £200m Community Infrastructure Fund to support transport related proposals. The fund covers all Growth Areas and Growth Points in the country, except for the Thames Gateway, and 24 bids have been made from within the region. Decisions on these bids will be announced shortly.

The public consultation on the Proposed Changes which starts today will last until 17 October 2008 and after considering all further views received during this time a final revision of the Regional Plan will be published.

Announcing the consultation, Parmjit Dhanda, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities said:

"The East Midlands Regional Plan is important for everyone living in the region. It deals with key issues such as climate change, housing shortages, flood risk and environmental protection.

"It looks ahead 20 years, well beyond the current short term squeeze of the credit crunch. During this time the region's population is set to grow considerably and if more homes are not built now the housing ladder will get even further out of reach for many people, leaving the next generation with nowhere to live.

"The proposals in this plan set out a vision for the future of the East Midlands. It is important that local people and all who are interested in the future development of the region have the opportunity to comment before the final strategy is published."

Also published today for consultation are the Sustainability Appraisal of the Proposed Changes and a Habitats Regulations Assessment required by the European Habitats Directive. These provide appraisal of the social, environmental and economic impacts of the proposed changes alongside their impacts on key nature conservation sites.

A link from the home page on the Government Office for the East Midlands website provides an online form which can be used to comment on the Proposed Changes. Alternatively, a response form can be downloaded from the website, or requested from the Government Office, and can then be returned by email or post.

Consultees are being asked wherever possible to make comments by submitting them online via a link at www.gos.gov.uk/goem (external link). This offers the opportunity to comment easily on the different changes, as well as viewing all the representations submitted by others.

Notes for editors

1. The East Midlands Regional Plan is the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the East Midlands. The current RSS for the East Midlands was published as RSS8 in March 2005. In September 2006 the East Midlands Regional Assembly submitted a draft revision of the RSS (as the East Midlands Regional Plan) to Government. Following public consultation this was considered before an independent Panel at an Examination in Public during May-July 2007. The Panel's report, which includes their many recommended changes, was published on 28 November 2007 and can be accessed at: www.gos.gov.uk/497296/docs/229865/Panel_Report.pdf (external link, PDF, 1930 kb, 270 pages).

2. The Schedule of Proposed Changes, the revised Regional Plan and accompanying documents can be viewed and downloaded from a link at the bottom of the home page of the Government Office for the East Midlands website: www.goem.gov.uk (external link).

3. Copies of the Schedule and revised Regional Plan are being sent to all local authorities in the region, parish councils, regional organisations and all those who took part in last year's Examination in Public.

Copies will also be available for public inspection at local authority offices and libraries across the region during normal working hours.

4. Latest projections of households for the English regions to 2026 can be found at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/707319.

5. The Growth Fund allocations for the region have already been announced. Details can be found at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingsupply/growthareas/growthfundallocations/.

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