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| South East Plan | |
|---|---|
| Name | South East Plan |
| Jurisdiction | South East England |
| Adopted | 2009 |
| Abolished | 2010 |
| Authority | Department for Communities and Local Government; South East England Regional Assembly; South East England Partnership Board |
| Type | Regional spatial strategy |
| Area km2 | 19,096 |
| Population | 8,000,000 (approx.) |
| Legal basis | Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 |
South East Plan is the regional spatial strategy prepared for South East England under the framework of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and overseen by the Department for Communities and Local Government. It aimed to coordinate housing, transport, economic development and environmental protection across counties including Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex. The Plan interacted with local planning authorities, statutory agencies such as Natural England and infrastructure bodies like Network Rail.
The Plan emerged from national policy set by Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and subsequent ministerial guidance by the Department for Communities and Local Government to implement regional governance reforms promoted by the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 and actions of South East England Development Agency. Its principal objectives included delivering regional housing targets derived from the South East England Regional Assembly evidence base, supporting investment priorities in line with Regional Economic Strategy, and coordinating strategic greenbelt and countryside protections influenced by precedents such as the Green Belt (London and Home Counties) policy. The Plan sought to reconcile pressures from population growth, projections by the Office for National Statistics, and commitments under international agreements administered via United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change implementation frameworks.
The Plan covered the administrative extent of South East England, bounded by Greater London, the English Channel, and borders with South West England and East of England. It addressed urban areas including Brighton and Hove, Southampton, Portsmouth, Reading, Milton Keynes (cross-boundary implications), Oxford, Guildford, Crawley and Canterbury. Rural landscapes within the Plan intersected statutory designations such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty including South Downs National Park and conservation areas connected to English Heritage (now Historic England). Strategic policy areas incorporated river basins managed by the Environment Agency and aviation considerations near Gatwick Airport and Heathrow Airport catchments.
The Plan promoted a spatial strategy emphasizing concentrated growth in key urban centres and strategic development locations, reflecting patterns similar to metropolitan planning in Greater Manchester and West Midlands. Policies allocated housing numbers, employment land and retail floorspace, referencing regional modelling techniques used by Homes and Communities Agency and demographic scenarios from Office for National Statistics. It incorporated priorities for regeneration in former industrial corridors with examples comparable to interventions by English Partnerships and encouraged urban intensification near railway hubs managed by Network Rail and franchised operators like South Western Railway and Southeastern. The Plan also set out mineral extraction and waste management frameworks resonant with policies from Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Transport provisions linked proposals for road networks influenced by Highways Agency (now National Highways), rail capacity upgrades associated with projects such as Thameslink Programme and airport surface access improvements serving Gatwick Airport and Southampton Airport. Housing provisions translated strategic allocations into sub-regional targets in collaboration with local planning authorities including Hampshire County Council, West Sussex County Council and unitary councils like Brighton and Hove City Council. Infrastructure coordination referenced funding mechanisms employed by Transport for London analogues and interfaced with utility regulators such as Ofwat and Ofgem for water and energy infrastructure planning.
Sustainability policies aligned with statutory conservation bodies like Natural England and heritage advisors such as Historic England, addressing biodiversity in designated sites including Special Protection Areas and Ramsar sites. The Plan incorporated climate change mitigation and adaptation principles consistent with Climate Change Act 2008 targets and carbon reduction guidance promoted by Committee on Climate Change. It sought to integrate renewable energy deployment, energy efficiency standards akin to Building Regulations, and sustainable drainage measures coordinated with the Environment Agency and river basin planning under European Union Water Framework Directive frameworks then in effect.
Implementation relied on coordination between the South East England Regional Assembly (and successor bodies), regional partners including the South East England Development Agency, county and district councils, and national departments. Funding mechanisms combined Regional Funding Allocations influenced by HM Treasury priorities, developer contributions via planning obligations under Town and Country Planning Act 1990, and capital programmes delivered by bodies such as Homes and Communities Agency. Governance arrangements included monitoring reports, sustainability appraisal processes akin to Strategic Environmental Assessment and periodic review procedures mandated by ministers at the Department for Communities and Local Government.
The Plan generated controversy over housing targets, greenbelt releases and infrastructure capacity, provoking responses from local campaign groups, parish councils, and political parties including positions voiced in House of Commons debates. Public consultation stages attracted objections referencing case law precedents and statutory duty to consult; judicial review challenges invoked principles from decisions such as R (on the application of) Methanex-style reviews in planning law contexts. Critics engaged think tanks and interest groups similar to Royal Town Planning Institute and environmental NGOs to contest allocations and appraisal methodologies.
Although adoption sought to deliver coordinated regional planning across South East England, the Plan was later revoked following policy shifts by the Coalition government and legislative changes under ministers at the Department for Communities and Local Government, affecting subsequent local development frameworks and neighbourhood planning administered under the Localism Act 2011. Its legacy persists in debates over strategic housing delivery, infrastructure prioritisation and regional environmental protection, informing later initiatives by county councils, combined authorities and national agencies including Homes England and ongoing policy discussions in House of Commons committees. Category:Regional planning in England