Regional planning and the South East Plan
On 6 July 2010, the Secretary of State revoked
Regional Strategies (including the South East Plan) and returned
decision-making powers on housing and planning to local
councils.
The Secretary
of State's full statement on revoking regional strategies is
available on the Communities and Local Government website.
Planning matters in a region were managed by a regional
planning body. The regional planning body had to produce a Regional
Spatial Strategy (RSS), which outlined the spatial plans for the
area and fed into the local plan.
The RSS:
- set out things such as how many homes are needed to meet the
future needs of people in the region, or whether the region needs a
new major shopping centre or an airport;
- outlined how a strategy for region should look in 15 to 20
years’ time;
- identified the scale and distribution of new housing in the
region and offered areas for regeneration and expansion,
and;
- listed priorities for the environment, transport,
infrastructure, economic development, agriculture, and minerals and
waste treatment and disposal.
For West Sussex, the regional body is the South
East England Partnership Board. The Partnership Board was
responsible for commissioning and approving a RSS, which combined
work previously known as the South East Plan and the Regional
Economic Strategy for the South East.