Spatial Economy
Priorities
Priority 1: Ensuring physical development meets the needs of a changing economy
The approach that is taken to the delivery of new physical development will define our success in planning for growth and change and will leave a legacy for generations to come. The quality, adaptability and appropriate delivery and phasing of development must be the keystones in ensuring that the East of England’s investment in the growth and regeneration agendas adds value to the regional offer rather than compromising the quality of lives for our residents.
Design quality is well established, both in terms of contributing significantly to sustainable communities, ensuring sensitivity to vulnerable landscapes and habitats, but also in making sound commercial sense and adding value to the development process. The creation of successful places in the East of England will rely heavily on our combined ability to achieve high levels of design quality and environmental standards through new development. Development of any scale that does not contribute positively to making places better, is inappropriate in its context; any that does not reflect the character or distinctiveness of an area is not acceptable and should be resisted. Aspirations for design quality across the region can in part be met by agencies such as the Regional Centre for Sustainable Communities, which provides further guidance, skills development and information sharing and encourages the provision of appropriate design guidance at the local level.
In a rapidly changing economy, an adaptable approach to physical development is essential in creating long-term sustainable communities. In planning for new developments in the East of England, there should be a view as to their longevity, robustness and adaptability. The Local Government White Paper placed an emphasis on giving communities a greater say and enabling partners to respond flexibly to local needs. Local inputs to place-making is key to success, with local authorities and other partners at the forefront of actively and meaningfully engaging with communities, businesses and stakeholders in planning for new physical development.
Priority 2: Increasing economic gain from the region’s distinctiveness and vitality
It is becoming increasingly recognised nationally and internationally that culture makes a dynamic contribution to communities, revealing its distinctive heritage and attitudes, and that culture-led regeneration helps underpin the success of small and medium-sized cities. In the East of England we have a rich cultural heritage to draw upon. To further our prosperity and attractiveness as a region, we need to safeguard, develop and promote our cultural strengths, as well as our diverse natural and built environments. This will enhance the quality of life for those who live in and visit the region, and be an integral part of economic development and meeting the needs of growing communities.
There is an increasing number of compelling examples in the region where culture is playing a leading role in regeneration and economic development. International centres of excellence being developed in many of our key regional cities and towns, which are already beginning to make this region one of the best places in Europe to live and work. One example is firstsite:newsite in Colchester, which is in one of the fastest growing communities in the UK. firstsite:newsite will become an international contemporary art space, vital to the communities, catalysing creativity and entrepreneurship, increasing profile and tourism and forming an integral part of town centre renewal plans. As populations are more mobile and people can individually choose where they live and work, the East of England needs to show internationally the distinctiveness of our region. The region could take a more integrated approach in developing culture as part of place-shaping and developing the value proposition for places, thereby securing vital opportunities for economic development and regeneration and ensuring the region is vital and sustainable.
The region has good proximity to London and good transport connections to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games venues. There is the potential for the region to capitalise on the 2012 Games using them as a catalyst to drive forward economic development and to realise positive benefits for the region’s cultural life, communities and tourism industry.The region will host two venues and the potential value of the Games to the East of England economy could exceed £600 million. The East of England Charter - Benefiting from the 2012 Games - defines success for the East of England across tourism, business, skills, sport, health, culture, infrastructure and volunteering with delivery structures in place to ensure the region can capitalise fully on legacy benefits.
In rural areas there is a need to enable people and businesses to thrive as the managers of many of our natural and cultural assets. This priority also recognises and supports the importance of the region’s landscapes, wildlife and open spaces. These include such unique and vulnerable environments as the Fens and the Broads, Thetford Forest, our extensive and varied coastline and areas of tranquil countryside. These locations have direct impacts on the economic performance of the region both through positive impacts on people’s well-being and productivity, but also through the range of specific economic opportunities that arise from the natural environment.
Protecting and enhancing our green infrastructure is central to securing sustainable communities. Accessible networks of high-quality parks and other green spaces that link urban and rural areas provide diverse benefits to communities. The region should seek to create distinctive areas within and between cities and towns, enhance biodiversity, provide opportunities for leisure activities and deliver a sense of place and community.
Priority 3: Creating sustainable places for people and business
This priority focuses on the need for the region to have a balanced approach to the provision of homes and jobs to support economic growth and regeneration. Sufficient high-quality, affordable and accessible homes are required in the right locations to support the region’s labour force. Equally, it is essential that the region secures the provision of high-quality business infrastructure and premises to support the needs of current and future businesses.
It is critical that the region’s key centres of development and change can provide the amount and quality of housing, and create the economic activity, business opportunities and wealth needed to benefit the whole region. The refresh of the East of England Plan will consider how housing provision can be reviewed beyond 2021 to address demographic, affordability and economic demands, including the further potential of existing key centres for development and change and small or major eco-towns and new settlements.
A key element in achieving a balance of housing and jobs is protecting, promoting and developing employment sites that support business growth and ensure the economic viability of local communities. These allocations need to consider the requirements of different business sectors and their aspiration for locations that promote partnership, collaboration, innovation and competitiveness. Urban brownfield sites are increasingly under pressure to be developed for housing. While it is acknowledged that the long-term vacancy of derelict employment sites can harm a town’s image, it is important to retain existing employment sites where possible and appropriate. Only sites that no longer meet regeneration and growth objectives, informed by an up-to-date Employment Land Review, should be made available for alternative uses.
Priority 4: Adapting the region’s places to meet the challenges and opportunities of climate change
The impacts of climate change on the region have been well documented, and include: the increased risk of flooding, whether tidal, fluvial or 'flash' flooding, reducing availability of water resources and higher temperatures. Whilst successful businesses, communities and individuals across the region are working to mitigate the impacts of climate change, in creating sustainable places for the future, adaptive changes will inevitably be necessary to meet a potential increase in global average temperatures of at least 2oC by the end of the century. This priority therefore focuses on the adaptive climate change measures that need to be embedded in the long-term planning and decision-making for the region’s places.The planning system has a key role in ensuring that current and future risks are taken into account in development and growth decisions across the region. Such plans must be prepared with the full range of sustainable development objectives in mind. New building design and construction and appropriate retrofit techniques are also important, for example, the use of pollution filtering, as well as enhancing the use of quality green space and promoting the connectivity of natural landscapes. The public, private and voluntary sectors will need to work together increasingly to improve emergency and contingency planning, risk management, skills development and adaptive techniques. Managing the long-term process of change, however, will also bring economic challenges and opportunities. Where possible, adaptation strategies should work with the natural processes on the coast, and with close community engagement, as this is the best chance of delivering long-term solutions that make economic and environmental sense. The development and commercialisation of innovative and applied technologies and their knowledge transfer, whether to support building design and construction, to explore the potential for new or alternative crops and products for sustainable land use or for species for habitat creation and enhancement, are also important.
Implementation priorities
- improving the design quality and sustainability of places in the East of England through access to advice, services, exemplars and capacity building in key locations
- developing a network of internationally important cultural centres of excellence and creative quarters in our leading cities
- protecting and conserving the region’s key cultural and historic landscapes
- ensuring the deliverability of existing housing and jobs targets through a range of measures such as: positive local development documents, strengthening investment planning and delivery partnerships, strategic employment land reviews and raising the region’s share of infrastructure funding to support delivery of affordable housing
- supporting the regional coastal initiative to develop a long-term strategy for the East coast to progress an integrated approach to coastal zone management
- developing the evidence base for responding to climate change in the region and supporting the use of innovative and applied technologies through positive planning for adaptation
- reviewing the spatial options for long-term growth to maximise competitiveness and sustainable development.