Cumbria County Council has won some key concessions for the county in a new regional strategy issued by the Government which lays down the framework for new housing, economic growth, transport, waste and environmental protection in the North West until 2021.
The North West of England Plan Regional Spatial Strategy to 2021 was made public yesterday (September 30) by Communities Minister Baroness Andrews. It will be the statutory policy blueprint which will influence planning decisions on everything from windfarms to supermarkets for the next decade and beyond.
Key areas of the plan which will have a positive impact on Cumbria include:
- A commitment to maximise the economic potential of the sub-region's rural areas whilst respecting their character and natural environment.
- Setting out an achievable vision for reducing the social and economic disparities in the sub-region.
- Putting tackling climate change high on the agenda to support national targets to reduce CO2 by 60% by 2050 and setting out how growth will be brought forward sustainably.
- Development in rural areas will be focused on selected towns and villages which will act as key and local service centres for surrounding areas.
- Tourism opportunities promoted include the Lake District National Park and Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site.
- Waste management strategy includes targets to increase household waste recycling and composting to 55% by 2020.
As a statutory consultee, Cumbria County Council and the Lake District National Park Authority also urged the Government and North West Regional Assembly to retain a number of locally defined spatial planning policies contained in the adopted Cumbria and Lake District Joint Structure Plan (2006). The new North West of England Plan has taken this on board and 23 out of the requested 35 policies put forward by the county council have been retained in the new plan.
This is a crucial victory for Cumbria, meaning Cumbrian priorities on matters such as landscape, renewable energy, minerals & waste and affordable housing provision have been taken on board.
Cllr Tim Knowles, Cumbria County Council's Cabinet member responsible for economy and acting portfolio holder for environment, said:
"The county council welcomes the publication of the regional spatial strategy. It sets out a vision for Cumbria which will help improve our economy and environment, reduce social disparities, deliver sustainable development and improve the overall quality of life here. As a long-term framework, it also gives a clear message that the current uncertain economic times need to be viewed in light of the bigger picture and we need to keep our sights set on the horizon to achieve long-term benefits for Cumbria.
"The strategy recognises that Cumbria has diverse economic, social and environmental needs. It lays out the framework which will help us regenerate the priority areas of West Cumbria and Barrow, improve our internal and external transport links, tackle the issue of affordable housing and live in a greener, more sustainable environment."
Notes
The Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) will now be the statutory land-use development plan from which all the new District Local Development Frameworks coming forward will have to comply. The publication of the RSS is the culmination of over 4 years work by the North West Regional Assembly (NWRA now known as 4NW) and Government Office for the North West (GONW), involving ongoing consultation with Cumbria County Council, Cumbria's district council and sub-regional partners.
The amount of new housing proposed in the new RSS represents a 54% increase in the level of new homes for Cumbria compared to the previous RSS (RPG13 2003).
Copies of the North West Plan and supporting documents are available at http://www.gos.gov.uk/gonw/Planning/RegionalPlanning/?a=42496 (external link)
Revised projections of households in the English regions to 2026 can be found at http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/707319 (external link)
ENDS
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Media enquiries to Gareth Cosslett, News Manager on 01228 226332