Regional Strategy

On the 18th May 2010 the Government issued a statement called "Building the Big Society" expressing its intention to reform the planning system, and abolish Regional Spatial Strategies. On the 6 July 2010 the Secretary of State revoked the Regional Strategy for the East of England, which comprised the Regional Spatial Strategy (2009) and the Regional Economic Strategy (2006). This revocation was later found to be unlawful and the Regional Spatial Strategy remains part of the development plan. The East of England LGA will be assisting its member councils in influencing the legislation and preparing for transition to a new system.

East of England Plan

The East of England Plan is the regional spatial strategy, approved by the Secretary of State in 2008 (although subject to a successful legal challenge that required the Secretary of State to go back and re-examine parts of the Plan).

The East of England Plan was revoked on the 6th July 2010 by the Secretary of State but reinstated by a subsequent legal challenge.  It continues to form part of the development plans system. 

The East of England Plan set out a long-term spatial vision for all parts of the East of England over the period to 2021. It provided targets for housing, economic growth, water use, waste disposal, and minerals extraction, together with a suite of transport and environmental policies to ensure that new development was delivered in the most sustainable way possible. It addressed the vulnerability of the East of England to climatic change, particularly linked to coastal and river flooding and the need to make better use of resources and renewables.