RSS East Of England Plan - Broads Authority

East of England Plan 1
Section 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 (RSS) 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 RSSs to contribute to
sustainable development. Procedural policy on the content of RSSs and the process for revising them is set out in a
Planning Policy Statement on Regional Planning, PPS11, 2004.
1.2 RSSs 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 RSSs provide a consistent regional framework to inform the preparation of Local Development Documents which must be
in general conformity with the RSS, local transport plans and regional and sub-regional strategies and programmes with
a bearing on land use activities. These include the regional housing, environment, health and social strategies produced
by regional assemblies and their partners. It is a two-way relationship since the RSS should take account of those
strategies and programmes. RSS policies may also be material to decisions on individual planning applications and
appeals.
The East of England Plan
1.4 The East of England Plan is published by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. It covers the
counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. Together with relevant sections of
the Milton Keynes South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy, 2005 it constitutes the RSS for the East of England.
1.5 The Milton Keynes South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy covers parts of three regions, the East of England, East
Midlands and South East. It contains policies which, within the East of England, relate to two growth locations: Bedford/
Kempston/ Marston Vale and Luton/ Dunstable/ Houghton Regis together with Leighton Linslade. The generic policies of
this RSS apply to the whole of Bedfordshire and complement policies in the Milton Keynes South Midlands Sub-Regional
Strategy. Paragraphs 13.79 – 13.81 provide further information about the strategic planning framework for Bedfordshire.
1.6 The East of England Plan supersedes an initial RSS which comprised the former Regional Planning Guidance for East
Anglia (RPG6, 2000) together with relevant sections of the former Guidance for the South East and Thames Gateway
(RPGs 9, 9A & 3B/9B).
1.7 This document is based on a draft revision to the RSS prepared by the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) and
submitted to the Secretary of State in December 2004. The original proposals have been amended through the Secretary
of State’s Proposed Changes, December 2006, which responded to the recommendations of the Panel which conducted
an Examination in Public of the draft revision between November 2005 and March 2006, and as a consequence of
considering the consultation responses to those Proposed Changes. The Plan also takes account of and builds on the
Regional Economic Strategy produced by the East of England Development Agency and the Regional Sustainable
Development Framework, which provides a high level statement of the regional vision for achieving sustainable
development.