The Future Of Regional Planning Hangs In The Balance In Yorkshire And The Humber

26 March 2009

1. Regional planning in Yorkshire and the Humber faces an uncertain future as the Regional Assembly is set to dissolve itself today (Thursday).

2. As part of the Government's plans to reform regional planning the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Assembly agreed at a meeting in October last year a recommendation to move to new arrangements by 1 April 2009. At a meeting which will be held today (26 March), members will be asked to approve a motion for dissolution of the Assembly.

3. CPRE's Senior Regional Policy Officer, Fiona Howie comments:

'The new arrangements that will replace the Assembly have been developed largely behind closed doors. The Regional Development Agency has worked with local authorities but the public and other interest groups, from both urban and rural areas in the region, have largely been excluded from the discussions. It is essential that the structures that emerge are transparent and enable close working with local people and regional stakeholders to develop and implement future regional plans, which are environmentally sustainable.'

Regional reforms

4. The Government first set out its plans to abolish Regional Assemblies and reform regional planning in July 2007. One of the aims was to simplify and streamline regional planning by bringing economic and land use planning together.

5. Each region currently has a Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) which sets out a vision for the future of the region over the next 15 to 20 years. The strategy includes information on when and where development, including new houses and transport routes, should take place, and how waste, water and natural resources more widely will be managed.

6. New legislation is required to reform regional planning. The Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill, which is currently being debated in the House of Lords, contains the necessary powers. Until this Bill completes its passage through Parliament, however, regional planning processes will have to meet the requirements of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

7. CPRE recognises that regional planning needs to be streamlined; but changes should not compromise the ability of communities and stakeholders to engage in the planning process. The new structures should ensure that local people and regional experts are able to feed in to the development of future regional plans. This engagement should be throughout the policy development process.

8. Environmental, social and economic policies should be integrated under the new plans. Since the Government announced plans to reform regional planning, CPRE has repeatedly raised concerns, both at national and regional level, that they have an overriding economic focus. Although the current economic situation is a major concern, regional planning should be long term and not seen as a 'quick fix'. Regional plans should focus on setting out a vision for sustainable development.

9. Regional environmental, social and economic stakeholders have played an important role as members of the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly over the past 8 years. They have had a valuable input into the RSS but their future role is uncertain. This is extremely worrying particularly in light of the prominent role the economically focused RDAs are likely to take in the new arrangements. Environmental and social partners were integral in developing current plans and they must not be side-lined in the new structures.

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