Archived decisions

Contact: Stuart Jarvis, ext 6124 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 The following decision is sought:

That the Council decide on the views and comments which it wishes to send to the Regional Assembly in respect of:-

i) the South Hampshire Sub-regional Strategy; and

ii) the Western Corridor/Blackwater Valley Sub-regional Strategy.

2. Reason

2.1 This decision supports Aim 2 (Stewardship of the Environment) and Aim 3 (Achieving Economic Prosperity) of the Corporate Strategy, by helping to ensure that Hampshire's environment and its economic prosperity are safeguarded in the Sub-Regional Strategy advice to be submitted to the South East England Regional Assembly.

3. Other Options Considered and Rejected

3.1 To offer no comments to the Regional Assembly on the sub-regional strategies for South Hampshire and the Western Corridor/Blackwater Valley.

4. Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Decision Maker or Other Executive Member Consulted - None.

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - Not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the Matter being dealt with if Urgent - Not applicable.

Contact: Stuart Jarvis, ext 6124 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 The County Council, along with other relevant strategic planning authorities, is statutorily required to provide advice to the South East England Regional Assembly on sub-regional policies to be contained in the Regional Spatial Strategy (entitled the South East Plan) which the Assembly is now preparing. This report describes the background to the preparation of the sub-regional policies for South Hampshire and for the Western Corridor/Blackwater Valley and reports progress with sub-regional strategy preparation. At the time of writing this, the final report for each sub-regional strategy is still being finalised, and will be finally considered by the respective steering groups on 27^th October. Each will be made available at the Council meeting. The Council is asked to decide on the views and comments which it wishes to send to the Regional Assembly in relation to each sub-regional strategy.

2. Brief and timetable

2.1 A brief for each sub-regional strategy was agreed between the Regional Assembly and the local authorities in each strategy area in July 2004. The timetable set by the Assembly for this work is extremely tight, with submission of each sub regional strategy required by the end of October 2004.

2.2 Interim Reports for both strategies were submitted to the Regional Assembly in early October. There are differences between them: that for South Hampshire is essentially a report on progress while that for the Western Corridor/ Blackwater Valley takes the form of a partially completed draft of the final report. Both are attached for information.

2.3 The County Council has consistently maintained that the timetable is unrealistically constrained and inhibits the engagement of both elected Members and key stakeholders in the process. The Assembly remains committed to the overall timetable and continues to resist calls for additional time; most recently following a request from the Assembly's Executive Committee to review it to see if more time could be allowed for stakeholder engagement in sub-regional strategy preparation.

2.4 The Minister for Housing and Planning, Keith Hill MP, has recently agreed a request from the Assembly for a three month extension of time so that after the submission of most of the draft Plan to him in July 2005, the Assembly can conduct public consultation on the housing figures for each District before those are submitted in Autumn 2005. This leaves the timetable for the next nine months unchanged: public consultation on the draft South East Plan including the sub-regional strategies is planned for Monday, 17 January - Friday, 15 April 2005.

3. National Context

3.1 Members will be familiar with the broad national context in which the sub-regional strategies are being developed. Issues around housing numbers and housing need in the South East have received a very high national political profile following the publication of the Barker Report and the Government's Sustainable Communities Plan. The Assembly has to prepare the regional spatial strategy in the context of national policy guidance and there is a clear expectation of future development and growth within the South East at levels above those achieved recently.

3.2 In both sub-regions, there are significant issues to be addressed including inadequate and overstretched transport infrastructure, increasingly unaffordable housing and lack of access to housing for sections of the community, pockets of social and economic deprivation and, in South Hampshire's case, a widening gap in economic performance compared to the South East average. Managed growth can provide an opportunity to address these issues whilst maintaining and improving quality of life in the sub-region. It is considered essential for local authorities to manage and lead the process of policy development and implementation, than for it to be imposed from outside.

4. Final Reports

4.1 The briefs require each final report to set out the 3-4 strategy options which have been formulated and tested, together with the preferences of the local authorities. The reports are also required to articulates these in the form of sub-regional policies for inclusion in the draft South East Plan. These reports, which are still being drafted, will be considered by the two sub-regional strategy steering groups on 27 October. The final reports will tabled and presented at the Council meeting, together with any recommendations from the cabinet meeting on 25^th.

Recommendation

That the Council decide on the views and comments which it wishes to send to the Regional Assembly in respect of:-

i) the South Hampshire Sub-regional Strategy; and

ii) the Western Corridor/Blackwater Valley Sub-regional Strategy.

9038/SJ