Peoples Republic of South Devon

RSS anyone (that’s Regional Spatial Strategy, to you)

January 16th, 2008

posted by Ctpn

Who knows what tomorrow brings, someone once sang. But the Draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South West, which has been submitted to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears, at least gives the future a bit of a plan. (Who’d a’ thought that this story would go downhill so quickly.)

In a world, few hearts survive, but how many of the recommendations put forward will get past the Blearsy-eyed gaze? And before I try to prep up this boring-but-important story any more, here’s a few of the recommendations:

• a policy statement (yup more jibber jabber) on transport, and new traffic management and parking policies

• “the need to plan for about 86,000 homes in Devon from 2006 to 2026 (i.e. reflecting around a 30% overall increase in housing provision than proposed in the Draft Plan). There are more significant increases in East Devon and Torridge District, and the need to increase the level of affordable housing from 7,500 to 10,000 homes per year in the region is recognised”

• a general employment policy, in terms of economy of the region

• ‘a clearer expression of a renewable energy strategy to distinguish between capacity and generation targets’
You can read the rest of the plan here (to the tune of Up Where We Belong, which is probably available on iTunes), and we can expect the Secretary of State’s comments in spring, on which we have eight weeks to comment.
… where the eagles fly… yada, yada, yada

Entry Filed under: Society