Planning the future of the region

The Plan to shape the future development of the Region took a step closer to being finalised today when the Government published its proposed changes to the Assembly’s Draft Regional Spatial Strategy – the Yorkshire and Humber Plan.

The Yorkshire and Humber Plan sets out a long-term development strategy for the region, covering transport, housing, the economy and environmental issues. The Assembly published the Draft Plan in December 2005 and following public consultation and a testing of the document by an independent Panel, Government has now published details of how it thinks the Plan should be changed before it is finally issued. There is now a 12-week consultation on these proposed changes.

Assembly Chair, Peter Box, said “the Assembly worked hard as the regional strategic partnership to make sure that the Draft Plan had support across the region. The Assembly consulted widely and involved numerous organisations and individuals right across Yorkshire and Humber during its preparation.”

He added: “This consultation by the Secretary of State on the Proposed Changes provides the last opportunity for partners to influence the content and direction of the Yorkshire and Humber Plan. The final Plan will play a key role in delivering more sustainable development and in supporting the continued economic, social and environmental transformation of our region’s cities, towns, rural and coastal areas, so it is important that we make sure the strategy is right”.

Chair of the Assembly’s Planning Board, Steve Galloway, commented: “We recognise that the Government suggests some significant changes to the Plan, particularly in the assumptions about economic growth and in the number of new homes that need to be built. Assembly Members have always recognised that planning the future of the Region is challenging. Securing economic success, building the right type and number of new homes, getting the necessary transport and other infrastructure delivered and doing all of this in the context of environmental sustainability and tackling climate change is not easy. We will work with our partners to look closely at how the Proposed Changes address these challenges. It is important that the Region makes its voice heard before Government finalises the Plan.”

Below is a letter from Baroness Andrews which summarises the main Proposed Changes and a table that summarises the changes to the housing figures. Copies of the documents issued by the Secretary of State are now available on the Government Office website: http://www.goyh.gov.uk/goyh/plan/regplan/propchanges/