East of England Regional Strategy to be abolished in January 2013

"Regional planning built nothing but resentment," said Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. "This is the next stage in the abolition of the whole tier of regional government in East England. We are devolving power from unelected regional quangos down to elected local councils and to local communities."

The Order was laid before Parliament following the publication of a strategic environmental assessment (221-page / 746KB PDF) which provides an assessment of the environmental effects of the revocation of the East of England Plan.

Shortly after the coalition Government came to power Pickles announced that regional spatial strategies would be abolished with immediate effect. That decision was challenged in the High Court and found to be unlawful, so the Government is undertaking strategic environmental assessments for the abolition of all of England's regional spatial strategies. The East of England Plan is the first regional spatial strategy that is set to be abolished.

The Government is committed to the abolition of all regional spatial strategies as part of its localism agenda. "The abolition of regional planning across this region will give local councils and local people right across the former East of England government region more control of shaping the places in which they live" said Pickles in his ministerial statement.

Regional spatial strategies were introduced in 2004 by the then Labour Government and provided binding planning frameworks including nationally-set housing targets at a regional level. They were drawn up by regional planning bodies and councils had to prepare their 'Local Development Documents', based on the regional spatial strategy.