South East Plan – Sub-regional strategies
The draft South East Plan was prepared by the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) and submitted to government on 31 March 2006. It included additional policies for a number of sub-regions where a distinct approach is needed to tackle key issues that cross local authority boundaries. It also established specific housebuilding targets for every district and unitary authority in the region for the 20-year period from 2006–2026.
Parts of East Sussex are covered by the sub-regional strategies for the Sussex Coast, in particular, and for the Gatwick Area. In December 2005, we provided SEERA with our final advice on sub-regional policies for the Sussex Coast .
At the same time, we provided extra advice to the Assembly on:
- how the Assembly's overall housing target for East Sussex should be distributed between each of the county's five districts
- the identification of, and policies for, regeneration areas (like the Sussex Coast)
- its support for Hastings being identified as an additional regional transport hub.
This advice has largely been incorporated into the final draft of the South East Plan which was submitted to government.
Strategy for the Sussex Coast
As the lead authority, we have developed and refined our strategy proposals for the Sussex Coast sub-region over the last two years, in parallel with the preparation of the South East Plan. We have carried out this work on an open and inclusive basis, involving representatives of economic, environmental and community sector partners, as well as all the local planning authorities.
The sub-region covers towns along the Sussex Coast from Chichester, through Brighton & Hove, to Rye.
The key issues and challenges facing the sub-region were first identified in the Sussex Coastal Towns Study. This was submitted to SEERA in April 2004. The conclusions of this study formed the starting point for our subsequent sub-regional strategy proposals.
Key issues for the Sussex Coast were also discussed at the Examination in Public of the draft South East Plan in January 2007.
Our recommendations
Our sub-regional strategy for the Sussex coast clearly puts the needs of our coastal towns first. It emphasises the crucial importance of securing sustainable economic regeneration to reduce differences with the rest of the region. The sub-regional strategy also:
- underlines the importance of achieving improvements in transport infrastructure and services (to improve accessibility within the region and to wider markets)
- asserts the critical importance of development only going ahead hand-in-hand with the delivery of any necessary supporting infrastructure
- acknowledges the tightening constraints on further development along the coast and the importance of protecting our high quality environment as a vital economic asset
- highlights the need for different agencies to work together in support of a shared vision and objectives
- advises on how SEERA's overall housing targets for this area should be distributed at district level
- emphasises the importance of doing as much as possible to increase the provision of affordable housing.
Sustainability appraisal
The key stages of our work in developing sub-regional policy advice for the Sussex Coast (including the proposed housing provisions) were informed by a thorough sustainability appraisal of potential strategy options. These appraisals were carried out in line with SEERA’s guidance and you can view a summary of our assessments.
Strategy for the Gatwick Area
We contributed to the development of a Sub-Regional Strategy for the Gatwick Area. Work for this sub-region has been led by West Sussex County Council which submitted final guidance to SEERA by 9 December 2005.
SEERA’s brief for the sub-regional strategy was to develop the concept of the ‘Gatwick diamond’ inward investment strategy, to deliver sustainable growth to maximise future economic development opportunities. The brief also sought strategic guidance on the level, and distribution, of development that will be required to meet the social and economic needs of the area to 2026.
The sub-region extends from Horsham to East Grinstead and from Horley to the south of Burgess Hill. It shares a substantial boundary with East Sussex and, as well as crossing significant strategic transport corridors serving the county, there are also important economic links with East Sussex. Although the Gatwick Area as originally defined did include a small part of Lewes district, the Sussex local authorities have recently advised SEERA that the sub-regional boundary should be re-drawn to exclude any part of East Sussex.
Key strategy proposals include diversifying the economy, improving skills and providing better transport links while protecting the character of existing countryside and settlements in accommodating new development. It assumes that Gatwick will remain a single runway airport.
View further information on sub-regional policy proposals for the Gatwick Area on the West Sussex County Council website.
Housing in the rest of East Sussex
The final version of the South East Plan will include details of housing requirements at district level for the whole of the South East. This means that SEERA has also established an overall figure for how much housing it believes should be accommodated in the ‘rest of East Sussex’ – that is, the county’s smaller towns and villages that lie outside of both the Sussex Coast and Gatwick Area sub-regions.
At its full Assembly meeting on 13 July 2005, SEERA decided that the rest of East Sussex should plan to accommodate 300 dwellings per year over the next 20 years, and we subsequently advised the Assembly on how these new homes should be distributed between the more rural parts of Lewes, Rother and Wealden.
We also discussed future levels of housing provision in the rest of East Sussex at the Examination in Public of the draft South East Plan in March 2007 and, before that, submitted the following statement to the EiP Panel:
Background
Regional planning guidance for the South East has always included further detail for certain sub-regions. With the abolition of structure plans and the introduction of statutory Regional Spatial Strategies, the sub-regional aspects of the South East Plan have taken on much greater importance.
Under the new planning system, SEERA has to seek the advice of ‘principal planning authorities’ (like the County Council) where it thinks a sub-regional strategy may be needed. In commissioning such advice, SEERA has asked individual authorities to take the lead role in different areas.
We have acted as the lead authority for all work relating to the Sussex Coast sub-region. West Sussex County Council has played the same role in relation to the Gatwick Area.
