§ Mr. PondTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he intends to make an announcement about regional planning guidance for the south-east.[155395]
§ Mr. RaynsfordOn 18 December last year we published draft revised Regional Planning Guidance for the south-east. This put the urban renaissance and protection of the countryside at the heart of the revised regional strategy. It put forward a housing strategy that took no more land than assumed by the regional planning body. We re-consulted on the proposed housing distribution and after careful consideration of all the representations we are today issuing Regional Planning Guidance for the South East (RPG9).
In the light of the divergent views expressed on the individual county figures and in the absence of any consistent regional rationale to justify a new distribution, the proposed distribution has not been changed. We acknowledge the concerns expressed during the public consultation but would emphasise that in line with our
292Wnew 'plan, monitor and manage' approach, the scale and distribution of housing will be subject to review within the next five years in response to monitoring and other information. We do not believe in fixed 20-year housing targets.
The RPG9 document is being distributed to local authorities, Regional Planning Bodies, Regional Development Agencies and others who participated at the Public Examination held in 1999. Copies have also been placed in the Libraries of the House and made available to MPs from the Region. Further copies can be obtained from the Stationery Office at a cost of £.