South East Forum For Sustainability

Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Eric Pickles today announced that Regional Spatial Strategies will be revoked with immediate effect. Councils will now be responsible for deciding whether or not to keep their existing housing targets or develop new plans. Local Developement Frameworks and Planning Documents will continue as is though there may be a need to revise or review them to remove references to Regional Policy.

CPRE amongst others has voiced it’s concern over the cutting of RSS and the void this leaves in the cross boarder planning for things like transport, waste, minerals, green infrastructure.

Click here for the full RSS revocation letter and guidance covering, issues related to LDFs, transport, housing, waste and minerals planning.

The Chilterns AONB has launch a new searchable service on it’s website to allow you to plan walks, bike and horse rides.

The website allows you to search walks/cycles or rides by postcode, it includes open access land and also things of interest to look out for e.g. red kites. So click here to explore.

As David Dimbleby said on numerous occasions during the election coverage last night “this is quite an extraordinary election”. Swings went this way and that, but with most of the seats now decided we have a clear picture of how things look for the South East.

There was a 2% swing from the Liberal Democrats, who lost 2 seats, to the Conservatives who gained 14 seats. The Labour party lost 13 seats and of course remarkably  and historically the region gained a Green seat when Brighton Pavilion elected its first Green MP Caroline Lucas.

So overall the region has 75 Conservative, 4 Liberal Democrat, 4 Labour and 1 Green MPs.

We will watch with interest as the hung parliament develops and what deals are brokered particularly in relation to Regional Planning.

Full coverage of the election including a detailed breakdown of the results can be found on the BBC website

Since the announcement of the general election the future of regional level planning has been up for debate. Even now the results are mainly in, the future is uncertain. The Conservatives have increased their hold on seats in the region but for the first time there is a Green MP. We don’t know how things will pan out in the scheme of a hung parliament but SEFS will be discussing the issues at the General Meeting on Tuesday 15^th June (details on the SEFS website). SEFS will be discussing the issues post the election at the General Meeting on Tuesday 15^th June (click for details). We do hope you will be able to join us then to engage in our debate. In the meantime this is what the different parties are saying about regional level planning in their manifestos:

Conservatives:

• Abolish regional tier including RSS and building targets.
• Councils/business to have the power to form partnerships instead of RDAs but allow them to have regional based enterprise partnerships if they want them.
• Any quangos that do not perform a technical function or a function that requires political impartiality, or act independently to establish facts, will be abolished.
• Hold referendums on whether to have directly-elected mayors in 12 of England’s largest cities outside London; allow local people to trigger referendums on “issues of local importance” by amassing petitions signed by 5% of local people over a six month period; use Cabinet Office budgets to fund the training of independent community organisers to help people establish and run neighbourhood groups.

Greens:

• Referenda on local govt decisions if called for by 20% of electorate.
• Revive local government, with the introduction of proportional representation and with grassroots democracy spreading through the use of smaller community and district councils. Such authorities should have enhanced powers, and in due course new tax-raising powers.

Labour:

• Enhance RDAs and Regional Ministers.
• Enhanced role for local government.
• Regional growth fund.
• Help for city regions to enable them to become powerhouses of growth and innovation with devolved power to shape transport and skills. With the possibility of directly elected mayors.

Liberal Democrats

• Reform Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) to focus solely on economic development, removing duplication with other parts of government and allowing substantial budget reductions. We will give responsibility for economic development to local authorities. Where existing RDAs have strong local support, they may continue with refocused economic development objectives. Where they do not, they will be scrapped and their functions taken over by local authorities.
• Scrap govt offices for the regions/Regional Ministers.
• Implement the Sustainable Communities Act Amendment Bill, which gives local communities the right to propose actions in their area to improve sustainability.
• Scrap nationally-set targets and performance indicators.
• Give councils control over housing and planning.

Standean Bottom

After all the long wait it might seem slightly cruel to launch the new South Downs National Park on April 1st. But its no joke, after the National Park Confirmation Order was signed in November last year by Hilary Benn, it came into effect on 31st March and the new National Park Authority came into being on the 1st April. The South Downs NPA will be a shadow organisation for 1 year when it will take over the reins completely.

The campaign to set up a National Park for the South Downs has been a protracted one. Many SEFS members have supported it, some from the start and several, noteably the South Downs Campaign, have  been key movers and shakers in ensuring that the park covers a comprehensive and inclusive area. Thousands of volunteer hours have gone into shaping the arguments for the Park and those who have worked so hard to ensure this iconic landscape is fully recognised for what is worth deserve our hearfelt thanks. Now that it’s reason for being has come into being the South Downs Campaign has disbanded but you can click to read the last Campaign newsletter. SEFS is delighted to see that Sue Saville from the National Trust and a SEFS P&EC member has been appointed to the new Authority.

SEFS members can continue to engage in the development of the National Park through the new South Downs Network which has been set up to to share information and work together to support enhancements and to fight damaging proposals. It is felt that that the network will be important to ensure that pressure is maintained for greater protection and enhancement of the South Downs. To sign up or to find out more information, contact: Jacquetta Fewster of the South Downs Society (which has kindly agreed to host the administration of the network) on 01798 875073 or email: downsmen-d@btconnect.com

With  less than 24 hours to go Earth Hour is approaching fast. So why not join a community of over 5million people (and rising) around the world at 8.30pm your local time and spend an hour switched off.

Make new friends, look at the stars, enjoy some candlelight or just sit in the dark.

To register sign up on the  Earthhour website

Oxford City Council has been chosen along with eight other councils (Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Northumberland, Haringey, Nottingham, Plymouth and Bournemouth Poole and Dorset MAA) to pioneer an ambitious programme of action to tackle climate change.

The councils will work with Government over the coming twelve months to pioneer and test new local carbon frameworks. They will take centre stage in the UK’s action to tackle climate change whilst residents will reap the benefits of large scale home insulation projects, alternative sources of energy and the emergence of greener communities which together could reduce fuel bills alongside further  benefits.

By working more closely with energy suppliers; to develop ambitious plans for ‘greening’ up domestic and non-domestic properties; increasing the demand for renewable energy; considering how to increase the economic viability of new energy sources; boosting links to heat and energy schemes and make more effective use of surplus energy to power homes, councils could potentially unlock new sources of income for local authorities.

John Denham is proposing that local carbon frameworks will involve councils:

- setting out a clear set of targets for action and a route for progress and milestones.  Many of the councils involved have already set themselves stretching targets to reduce carbon emissions – 40 per cent reductions and higher by 2020. The frameworks will support ambitions for going even further, faster

- developing a clear strategy for how carbon reductions can be achieved.  Robust and strongly evidence based; this strategy will need to articulate how the council will secure community buy in and involvement

- producing a delivery plan involving all its partners, including those outside the formal strategic partnership.

Plans might set out what action is needed on issues spanning recycling, energy efficiency, wind power, transport and more.

Councils would be expected to put together a prospectus setting out how they would develop and deliver a local carbon framework. This would be negotiated and agreed with Government. It will then be down to councils to take forward delivery and report on its achievements.

Local authorities will also be able to use their prospectus to set out an ‘ask’ of central government.  Councils will be expected to maximise the use of their existing freedoms and flexibilities but Government is ready to offer additional help and support and look at what more can be done to help delivery.

The pilot authorities will work with Government to help develop and test the concept. Further pilot programmes will be developed in the coming months. £3m has been allocated to support the pilot programmes.

John Denham said: “Local authorities – through their oversight of housing, planning, waste, transport coupled with the significant spending power they possess – are uniquely positioned to use their role and influence to drive and shape a low carbon economy, low carbon living and influence the kind of behaviour change that will be needed to meet the UK commitment to the 34 percent cut in emissions on 1990 levels by 2020.”

“Councils are already making huge advances on this agenda. We want all local authorities to take the lead on reducing emissions in their area. The nine authorities being named today are ready to help Government identify the support needed for all local authorities to follow the lead of the best, make sure unnecessary barriers to action are swept away, and identify the tools needed for local authorities to do the job.

“There are obvious benefits for local people both financially and in terms of quality of life and it is crucial that local authorities maximise these and involve local people every step of the way.”

The potential for local authorities to go further than their current responsibilities around climate change was proposed in the Strengthening Local Democracy Consultation published in the summer. That document made the case for using greater opportunities for local leadership on climate change to put local government at the heart of high quality, innovative public services. The frameworks present the next stage in tackling climate change and offer the potential to transform the expectations of what local government is and what it does for people.

Ultimately John Denham wants to work with those authorities already engaged in this agenda and encourage them to do more but also raise the bar for all authorities and help them recognise the potential and maximise the advantages that are available.

Campaign Success

Campaigners met today in Ditchling to celebrate as the Secretary of State signed the South Downs National Park Designation order.

It has been more than 60 years in the making but today sees the South Downs finally becoming the regions second National Park.  After Hilary Benn’s announcement in March earlier this year that he had agreed in principle to the National Park, campaigners have been waiting eagerly for the final boundary disputes to be resolved.  These led to a one-day public inquiry in August with the Inspector submitting his report to Government in the same month.  Until these issues had been sorted out, the legal order, formally creating the National Park could not be signed. 

The South Downs Campaign (SDC), a network of around 160 organisations is celebrating the removal of this last hurdle in the long and difficult history of the South Downs.  It now wants to see swift action to ensure that the new National Park Authority is given all the help that it needs to make it a success.

 Robin Crane, Chair of the SDC, commented ”Today is a fantastic and historic day: the final milestone on the long path to a South Downs National Park.  The South Downs will now have the protection and recognition that this landscape so richly deserves. ”

The decision letter can be found by clicking here and the full boundary details by clicking here

On a momentous day for Planning in the UK the Government has today published 7 out of the 12 National Policy Statments expected under the new Planning Act. These 7 are out for consultation until 22nd February and details can be found below:

EN-1 – Overarching Energy NPS - 93 pages

EN-2 – Fossil Fuels NPS - 19 pages

EN-3 – Renewables NPS - 71 pages

EN-4 – Gas Storage and Pipelines NPS - 28 pages

EN-5 – Electricity Networks NPS - 19 pages

EN-6 – Nuclear NPS - 300 pages

Ports NPS - 75 pages

The overall consultation page for the DECC NPSs is here.

The overall consultation page for the DfT NPS is here.

Are you trying to deliver Sustainable Development at a local level? You might find this work by the Sustainable Development Commission useful:

Local Decison Making and Sustainable Development

This paper sets out the key responsibilities of local authorities and their Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) partners in relation to sustainable development, and some of the opportunities and challenges that they face in meeting these. It also highlights some of the ‘key ingredients’ for delivering sustainable development at the local level.

A series of case studies go hand in hand with this work