East of England Plan >2031 Draft revision to the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England March 2010 Draft East of England Plan > 2031 Contents Main Document 1. Introduction 3 2. Vision and Objectives 11 3. Spatial Strategy 13 4. Implementation, Monitoring and Review 27 5. Economic Development 33 6. Housing 45 7. Culture 53 8. Transport 55 9. Environment 63 10. Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Renewable Energy 75 11. Water 79 12. Waste 85 13. Minerals 97 14. Sub-Areas and Key Centres for Development and Change 99 Appendices Appendix A Strategic Transport Infrastructure Priorities 143 Appendix B Biodiversity Action Plan priorities and targets for 149 the East of England Appendix C Total Forecasts of Quantities of Waste to be 151 Managed Draft East of England Plan > 2031 Contents Appendix D List of Policies 157 Appendix E List of Policies not subject to consultation 161 Key Diagram 169 Draft East of England Plan > 2031 3 Introduction 1 1. Introduction Regional Planning in England 1.1 The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 strengthened the role and importance of regional planning, introducing Regional Spatial Strategies and making them the top tier of the statutory Development Plan in all regions of England except London, where the London Plan provides a similar role. The Act sets an objective for Regional Spatial Strategies to contribute to sustainable development. Procedural policy on the content of Regional Spatial Strategies and the process for revising them is set out in a Planning Policy Statement on Regional Planning, PPS11, 2004. 1.2 Regional Spatial Strategies complement and generally do not repeat national planning policies, which are set out in Planning Policy Statements, Circulars and other Government statements, including White Papers. 1.3 They provide a consistent regional framework to inform the preparation of Local Development Documents, Local Transport Plans and other regional and sub-regional strategies and programmes with a bearing on land use activities. The policies may also be material to decisions on individual planning applications and appeals. The Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England is the East of England Plan. The East of England Plan 1.4 The East of England Plan was published by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in May 2008. It covers the county and unitary authorities of Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough, Southend-on-Sea, Suffolk and Thurrock. The Plan sets out the vision and strategic framework for growth to 2021. 1.5 The document you are reading is a draft revision of that Plan. This revised Plan takes the region forward to 2031, deepens key policy areas including climate change, the coast, energy and waste and refreshes other policy areas including transport and economic development. 1.6 To aid comprehension, polices which have been subject to single issue reviews are embedded within this revision document, however they are not subject to any consultation. This applies to Policies H3 and H4 and in relation to Lakeside Basin Thurrock, Policies E5 and ETG5. 1.7 Regional policy for Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton is also provided by the Milton Keynes South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy, as well as the East of England Plan. The sub-regional strategy provides guidance on the scale, location and timing of growth to 2021 with some indication of growth to 2031. The revised East of England Plan will formally replace appropriate parts of that strategy within a new sub regional section for the Luton, Central Bedfordshire and Bedford Borough area. 1.8 Fundamentally, the overall spatial distribution of growth remains unaltered in this revision. The key focus of housing and job growth remains in the region's Key Centres of Development and Change. We are also of the view that the overall vision and objectives of the current Plan, and many of its policies, provide a sound starting point from which to consider a strategy up to 2031. 1.9 Preparation of this revision was informed by an Integrated Sustainability Appraisal, incorporating a Strategic Environmental Appraisal, an Appropriate Assessment as required by the Habitats Regulations, health and equality impacts, and urban and rural proofing. 1.10 This revision includes a revised Implementation and Monitoring Framework. 4 Draft East of England Plan > 2031 1 Introduction Why review the Plan? 1.11 Although the Plan was only published in May 2008, the Government asked the Assembly to carry out an immediate review, in particular to make provision for the East of England’s development needs for the period 2011 to 2031. Regional plans should set out a long term strategy for at least 20 years and the current Plan now only covers the next 11 years. The current Plan needs to be taken forward to 2031 because industries and public authorities need to plan for the challenges and opportunities ahead, such as climate change and population growth. The Government indicated that the review should not only extend the Plan’s time horizon but further increase housing provision in the region and, in particular, to contribute to its national target of providing 240,000 additional homes per year by 2016. What evidence has informed the Plan? 1.12 There is a wide range of evidence available to help shape this review, ranging from regularly produced national, regional and local data through to specially commissioned studies and projections. The Assembly and the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) have jointly commissioned a special economic forecasting model. This model uses past trends and assumptions about the future economic performance of the East of England to estimate the scale and distribution of population and employment growth. 1.13 The Assembly has sought advice from local councils on future growth. It has also undertaken an integrated sustainability appraisal throughout the review process. This appraisal incorporates: a strategic environmental assessment to ensure the Plan is not likely to have significant negative effects on the environment; equality and health impact assessments, as well as checks to ensure there are no unintended consequences for rural, coastal and urban areas; and a Habitats Regulations Assessment to ensure the Plan is not likely to have significant negative effects on internationally designated areas of conservation or protection for wildlife. 1.14 Further information about the integrated sustainability appraisal process can be found in the ‘Integrated Sustainability Appraisal’ report accompanying this document. A list of sources of information, including the East of England Forecasting Model, can be accessed through the East of England Plan webpage at www.eera.gov.uk. 1.15 To help us consider the rate of growth for a further ten years up to 2031, and where it might go, we consulted on four scenarios for the scale and distribution of growth. One was broadly based on the advice of local councils in the region, whilst the other three took different national information into account. The outcome of the consultation can be found in the Pre-submission Consultation Statement which accompanies this draft Plan. Progress on current Plan targets 1.16 Progress against the targets in the current Plan is recorded in the Assembly’s Annual Monitoring Reports. Around 179,500 dwellings were built between April 2001 and March 2009, which is below target. 1.17 The number of new homes built increased each year between 2001 and 2008 and, if the rate achieved in 2007 had continued, the region would have come close to meeting its dwellings target. However, the current recession has resulted in a dramatic fall in the number of dwelling completions. Similarly, the amount of subsidised affordable housing provided since 2001 has fallen short of the region's affordable housing need, although as a proportion of total dwelling provision it increased to 26% in 2008/09 compared to the Plan target of 35%, as a consequence of the down turn in overall provision. Draft East of England Plan > 2031 5 Introduction 1 1.18 Until March 2008, the region appeared to be broadly on track to meet its 2001-2021 target of 452,000 jobs, although performance within the region varied considerably. Again, the recession has had a significant impact; employment has fallen by around 30,000 in the last year. 1.19 The Assembly has long expressed concern that the delivery of the current Plan cannot be achieved without Government commitments to investment in infrastructure of all kinds, both to redress current deficits and to support new growth. To help identify key infrastructure and regional priorities the Assembly and EEDA have prepared the East of England Implementation Plan to show what actions are needed to deliver the policies in the East of England Plan and the Regional Economic Strategy. 1.20 Most local councils are in the process of updating their local development plans to conform with the current East of England Plan. It is very unlikely that the review process will reduce the amount of growth in your council's plans as many are rolling forward the annual rate of growth in the current Plan beyond its end date of 2021. 1.21 The next stages for the review process (assuming no changes in legislation) are: public consultation on the Draft East of England Plan > 2031; independent planning inspectors conduct an "Examination in Public" of the Draft East of England Plan; public consultation on proposed changes to the Draft East of England Plan; and the Government publishes the revised East of England Plan > 2031. Why is the region growing? 1.22 The population of the East of England has increased from 5.4 million in 2001 to nearly 5.7 million and the Government predicts it will be nearly 7 million in 2031.