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Regional Spatial Strategy and Report from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears History: – The draft Regional Spatial Strategy was prepared by the South West Regional Assembly in 2006. Bournemouth Borough Council and elected representatives – including Cllr Ron Whittaker, had put forward evidence based arguments to exclude development of our North Bournemouth Green Belt which goes from the Spur Road to Muscliff and this was accepted in the original draft. The South West Regional Assembly then commissioned the ARUP report, testing the draft RSS for soundness, which despite representations from Bournemouth Borough Council, was adopted by the Independent panel and development of the Green Belt was reinstated. The Secretary of State, Hazel Blears, has now published her Draft Revised Regional Spatial Strategy for the South West and this also ignores the evidence from our local Council and concerns voiced by our elected representatives, in particular, there being no provision whatsoever to fund the hugely expensive infrastructure that would be required, making the housing undeliverable (1 ¼ miles over flood plain from Muscliff to Northbourne roundabout for the Castle Lane relief Road. Cllr Whittaker has taken photographs showing the entire area flooded). A recent report by transport consultant, Mouchel, shows Castle Lane already at or over capacity. Other objections include the desecration of Bournemouth’s last bit of Green Belt and destruction of good quality farm land, damage to ecology and environment, loss of green space for leisure (Suitable Alternative Natural Green Spaces SANGS) and Heathland Mitigation, increased flood risk, increase in congestion and air pollution, no money for schools, Health services, sewage systems and damage to the character of Bournemouth and its Conservation areas.
The South East Dorset Defence Consortium was formed to fight these proposals. This consists of the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) 6 Councils (Bournemouth, Poole, Dorset County, Christchurch, East Dorset and Purbeck) and 7 Action Groups (Corfe Mullen, Parley, Wimborne, Lytchett Matravers, Lytchett Minster, Upton and TMSTH Area Forum (working closely with Littledown Forum). The main campaign thrust was letter writing, after Forum tried to obtain consultation forms for everyone, but the Government Office for the South West refused. It was, however, getting worried by the huge response. Demonstrations were held at all Council meetings and there was across the board support for NO development in North Bournemouth. A Green Protest Rally was held on 14 September in Bournemouth Square. On 9th October, 2008, the Consortium made a deputation to Parliament and our Secretary handed in the petition which had been collected by Forum Members, to 10 Downing Street.  
 
The fight goes on in East Dorset and in Westminster and because of the huge response, the results are not expected until mid 2009.
On 10 October, the SWRA gave out the news release below:-
Assembly Confirms Support for South West Plan,
But Holds Major Reservations About Delivering
Government’s New Housing Growth Targets
Regional Leaders are clear that their strategy for the South West will deliver the right amount of new development for future prosperity and meet long term housing needs in the most sustainable way.
A packed meeting debated the long term future of the South West, as set out in the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS), when the Assembly met in Exeter on 10 October. The merits of the Secretary of State’s proposed changes to the long term plan, signed off in draft by the Assembly two years ago, came under fire. Over 80 Councillors and more than 20 regional stakeholders discussed economic growth prospects, the level of housing/dwellings to be built; affordable housing; and environmental issues, including flooding and the loss of a real South West identity in the document.
The Assembly is clear that the plan they submitted in 2006 was ambitious and optimistic, but also realistic and based on robust evidence and testing through local discussion. Members expressed a clear desire to deliver the 23,000 dwellings per year for 20 years, originally proposed by the Assembly in the Draft RSS. The Assembly has major reservations about the region’s ability to deliver over and above this figure each year as the Secretary of State proposes, irrespective of the current economic climate. The Assembly is strongly of the view that any new proposals should have a proper evidence base.
Cllr Sir Simon Day, Chairman of the Assembly and Assembly Member, said:
“In the South West’s long term plan, produced by the region for the region, we proposed a high level of growth supporting economic prosperity and avoiding major damage to our unique environment keeping the distinctiveness of the region”.
“The Assembly has made tough decisions at regional level about growth and we reject the higher housing figures now proposed by Government. After all our careful work to develop a regional strategy what we have now received from Government is a top down approach to the future of the region.”
Cllr Helen Holland, Deputy Chair of the Assembly and Assembly Member, said:
“We welcome the Secretary of State’s commitment to increased delivery of more affordable homes each year, recognising that our region suffers severely from the affordability gap between house prices and wage levels.”
“We will work together with Government agencies and the Housing Sector and developers to ensure that resources are drawn into the South West, to provide these much-needed homes, right across the region, to help address the affordable housing crisis."
Cllr Julian Johnson, Chair of the Assembly's Regional Transport Board and Assembly Member, said:
“The Assembly has already spent a number of years working on the plan, widely consulting the region and taking on board all the major issues and opinions. We are, therefore, disappointed that much of the good work undertaken has been disregarded in the Secretary of State’s proposals regarding transport, we plan to object to the downgrading of the second strategic route into the region.”
Cllr Mike Bawden, Chair the Regional Assembly's Planning Group and Assembly Member, said:
“Underpinning any plan for the region is the provision of infrastructure to support development. The Secretary of State’s proposed changes do not tackle the gap between development and infrastructure and we must have significant additional investment in infrastructure."
Cllr Humphrey Temperley, Vice Chair of the Assembly and Assembly Member, said:
“The original draft submitted by the Assembly was supported by the elected Councillors and nominated regional stakeholders who make up the Assembly. The Secretary of State’s proposals, which includes major additional developments, has not been through a similar democratic process and we are dismayed about some of the changes which have removed the regional distinctiveness of our approach to development.”
Christopher Irwin, Chair of the Assembly’s Social, Economic and Environmental Partners and Assembly Member, said:
"The South West's proposals were based on an objective assessment of the potential for sustainable growth. This means economic growth that can be sustained within environmental limits and which enhances environment and social welfare, and avoids greater economic extremes in future.”
“We want Government to endorse our call for sustainable construction policies, sufficient affordable housing and investment in the infrastructure throughout the South West."
Assembly Leaders have been in discussion with the Regional Minister Ben Bradshaw, who has offered to help with approaches to other Ministers to get key messages across about the need for investment to support growth in the region.
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