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History of the development of the Regional Spatial Strategy

The current Regional Spatial Strategy (the Yorkshire and Humber Plan) was published in May 2008.

A key challenge for developing the Yorkshire and Humber Plan has been to respond to the Government’s agenda for regional planning strategies to be more specific, spatial and regionally focussed.

January 2004: Project Plan

The starting point for developing the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) was the RSS Project Plan, ‘Shaping the Future’ (January 2004), which set out how the then current Regional Planning Guidance for the Yorkshire and Humber region would be transformed into a new Regional Spatial Strategy. The Project Plan can be viewed here.

July 2004: PLANet Yorkshire & Humber

In July 2004 ‘PLANet Yorkshire and Humber’ was published for consultation as a ‘Draft Spatial Vision and Strategic Approach’. Early in 2005 we consulted on ‘pre-draft RSS’. Through a series of topic papers, this 'pre-draft' stage set out options and ideas on what could be in the draft RSS when it is submitted to Government. The topic papers looked at the different policy areas that Draft RSS will need to cover. All the consultation topic papers are available in the Planning and Transport Team Library.

July 2005: RSS Heads of Terms Document

In July 2005, an RSS ‘Heads of Terms’ document was brought together. This set out clearly the direction and main justification of RSS strategy and policy and drew together the RSS work completed to date. Following this, work was undertaken to complete a Submission Draft Yorkshire and Humber Plan, which was approved by the Assembly in November and submitted to Government in December 2005.

December 2005 Submission documents

The draft RSS and supporting documents were submitted to the Secretary of State in December. These supporting documents were the Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment of the draft plan which is an independent assessment that measures how well the Plan addresses all aspects of sustainability, and the Statement of Pre Draft Consultation which provides further detail about out how we have consulted and involved people in the RSS process and how key issues raised have shaped the draft RSS document.

January - October 2006: Public Consultation and Examination in Public (EiP)

Public Consultation on the Plan closed on Thursday 13th April 2006, with approximately 320 respondents providing 3000 comments. The Examination in Public (EiP) of the Plan was then held in Leeds between September and October 2006. The purpose of the EiP was to provide an opportunity for the discussion and analysis of particular issues relating to the Plan.

Prior to the EiP the Assembly published an Appropriate Assessment. This is a tool required by the EU Habitats Directive to assess and mitigate any potential adverse impacts on European sites on Nature Conservation Importance.

May 2007: Panel Report

On 20 March 2007 the Examination in Public Panel submitted its report to the Secretary of State. This sets out the main findings and recommendations of the Panel following the public testing of the Draft Plan. The Panel Report from the Examination in Public (held in September/October 2006) was published on 4 May 2007. The Panel’s recommendations, along with all of the representations about the draft Yorkshire and Humber Plan (the draft revised Regional Spatial Strategy) were then considered by Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber (GOYH).

September 2007: Proposed Changes

The Secretary of State published "Proposed Changes" to the draft Yorkshire and Humber Plan on 28 September 2007 for public consultation. This consultation closed on 21 December 2007.

May 2008: Publication of the Plan

Having considered responses to that consultation, the RSS was published by GOYH on behalf of the Secretary of State in May 2008.

LGYH: 1st Floor, 19 King Street, Wakefield, WF1 2SQ Telephone: 01924 200 262 email: mail@lgyh.gov.uk

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