Over recent years much progress has been made in establishing a regional strategy for the protection, development and enhancement of the region as a whole. Regional strategies can be seen as the umbrella development strategies into which the local authorities Local Development Frameworks feed and inform.
The regional spatial strategy ensures that the local authorities own plans are working in relative harmony to others in the region and towards common goals and ideals.
Regional Spatial Strategy
The objective of the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development. The RSS, incorporating a Regional Transport Strategy (RTS), provides a broad development strategy for the region for a fifteen to twenty year period. The RSS also informs the preparation of Local Development Documents (LDDs), Local Transport Plans (LTPs) and regional and sub-regional strategies and programmes that have a bearing on land use activities.
Following the enactment of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) became part of the statutory development plan and has been renamed as Regional Spatial Strategy.
In each region, Regional Planning Bodies (RPBs), in consultation with the Government Offices (GOs) and other regional stakeholders, are responsible for preparing drafts of these documents.
The draft is then subject to public examination before being issued in final form, following public consultation, by the Secretary of State. Once approved by the Secretary of State, the document provides the strategic framework within which each region's development plans and local transport plans are prepared.
North East Regional Spatial Strategy
Current RSS to 2016 is Regional Planning Guidance for the North East (RPG1) which was published in 2002. It became RSS for the region until its replacement by emerging RSS.
The North East Assembly is the Regional Planning Body (RPB) for the North East. They took the leading role in preparing a draft revision of the RSS, which was submitted to Government in June 2005.
Final consultation takes early in 2008 and the final version of the plan is expected to be published late in 2008.
Regional Spatial Strategy (Regional Planning Guidance RPG 1) (2631kb)