Friends of the Earth: England: North East: Issues: Regional policy

Regional Policy in the North East

Why it matters

The North East Assembly is drawing up policies that will decide and shape the region's future.

This includes what can and can’t be built in the North East for the next fifteen years.

These policies will be contained in the masterplan for the North East known as the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS).

All local councils in the region will have to abide by its content when they make plans for and decisions about their area.

Key issues in the RSS that we are focussing on are:

Climate Change
The North East Assembly’s study into climate change predicts a rise in the region’s sea levels of between 6 and 66 cm.
Overdevelopment
We challenged plans in the draft RSS to hand over important greenfield sites for development, especially in the Tees Valley.
Airport and aviation expansion
The draft RSS proposes expanding the region’s airports, hooking the region’s future onto the success of the damaging, climate changing aviation industry.

Key dates for the completion of the North East RSS

April 2006	Examination in Public closed.
May 2007	Publication of revised RSS.
Early 2008	Final report published.

We will be monitoring developments and holding the Assembly to account for its claim that the RSS will adopt principles of sustainable development.

Watch this space for further updates.

Further information

Briefings:

Growing within limits? A review of the North East RSS (PDF† - 50.86 KB)
Tackling climate change in the English regions (PDF† - 361 KB).
RSS a blueprint for justice and sustainable development in the English regions (PDF† - 458 KB).
Tackling climate change through planning: the government's objectives (PDF† - 466 KB).

Next: More issues in the North East >

†To view PDF files you will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. Visually impaired users can get extra help with these documents from access.adobe.com.

Last modified:
Menu: June 2008
Content: Apr 2007