The Government is moving ahead to abolish the Regional Plans, according to new environmental assessments.
The Coalition Government says that it is committed to abolishing Regional Plans, which leaders say imposed housing targets on local communities and put pressure on councils to cut the Green Belt in 30 towns across the country.
The process of returning decision-making powers on housing and planning to local communities moved up a gear with the publication today of environmental assessments of the revocation of each Plan for consultation.
Subject to Royal Assent of the Bill and the environmental assessments, the final abolition of each individual Regional Plan will be commenced after the assessment process has been completed.
Local Government Minister Bob Neill said: “This Government is putting an end to unpopular, undemocratic Regional Plans, which imposed development on communities and threatened the countryside. These reports make it clear that revoking the Plans will protect communities and the environment from top down pressure to build on the Green Belt. We are putting planning powers into the hands of local people to take charge of local housing challenges in a way that makes sense for them while protecting the local countryside and green spaces they value.”