THE winners and losers have emerged in the battle to set the North’s growth plans for the next decade as the Government publishes a groundbreaking planning document.
Some of the biggest winners are councils and employers, who will be delighted the final planning blueprint has given the green light to business park growth at North East Technology Park in Sedgefield, Newburn Riverside in Newcastle and other “key employment locations” including Cramlington, Newcastle, Durham, Darlington and Hartlepool.
While possibly the biggest losers are wind campaigners, who will be forced to accept that while planners consider the tranquillity of Northumberland as vital to the tourist economy, landscape considerations are not enough to stop a vast increase in the number of onshore wind turbines proposed.
Wind turbines, road improvements, business parks and even house prices will be influenced by the Regional Spatial Strategy, put together by the North East Assembly and now officially recognised by the Government. The planning blueprint, which sets out the areas considered best suited to either residential or business developments, will be used as the guiding force behind almost every planning decision made until 2021.
It sets targets for the amount each household should be recycling, it will force new businesses to make sure their offices are in part powered with renewable energy and opens the way for growth at the region’s airports.
The battle to open up new rail routes in the North East and improve roads is covered, with the RSS backing many schemes but only paying lip service to the seemingly essential case for dualling the A1.
And despite builders across the UK laying off staff, the RSS also calls for 7,600 homes to be built each year until 2021.
The North East Assembly managed to ensure the Government retained some transport aims, such as keeping open options on the Ashington, Blyth and Tyne rail line and stressing the need for A1 Western bypass improvements, but has seen aspirations watered down.
Despite recognising the importance of high quality routes to Scotland and the damage done to the economy by poor links to the South, the RSS does not back a fully dualled route north of Newcastle or the introduction of high speed rail. For some critics this has been taken as proof that Government rather than regional interests underpin the final version.
Business leaders and politicians last night said the time had come to build on almost six years of RSS consultation.
North East Chamber of Commerce chief executive James Ramsbotham said: “There is much to applaud in the document – not least the fact that it explicitly prioritises the A1 Western bypass, although, as is always the case with documents of this kind, there are gaps between recognising action is needed and finding the funding to reach that goal.”
Minister for the North East, Nick Brown, said: “We have a plan which will help the region to grow and prosper in the years ahead and what we need now is for all partners to work effectively with us to meet the challenge of delivering it.”
North East Assembly chair Alex Watson said the work was the result of long consultation to ensure disagreements were ironed out before yesterday’s final version was published.
“We began the plan’s preparation over five years ago and from the beginning have ensured full participation of councillors in the region, alongside representatives of economic, social and environmental groups,” he said.
“We are delighted that the Government has endorsed our shared vision for the North East and the main themes of a stronger economy, sustainable communities, a better environment and improved communications remain at the heart of the strategy.”
