Rural Vision Conference

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• Rural Vision Conference
• Hop Farm Country Park, Kent
• 14 July 2003

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Rural Vision Conference

• Mike Gwilliam
• Director of Planning and Transport
• The Regional Spatial Strategy, Issues and Vision
• 14 July 2003

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Regional Spatial Strategy (1)

• The RSS will
• Replace existing Regional Planning Guidance
  (RPG9)
• Provide long term spatial frameworks for
  development plans and other strategies
• Extend beyond land use
• Need to consider role of rural areas and
  urban/rural relationships

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Regional Spatial Strategy (2)

• RSS Process
• Rural vision will feed into development of the
  spatial strategy
• Involvement of rural stakeholders
• Draft RSS for consultation late 2004
• Submission to Government mid 2005

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Particular Features of the Rural South East

• Particularly high quality environment (33 AONB
  and 15 Green Belt)
• Rural distinction blurred with urban
• Agriculture a vital custodian of the landscape

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Particular Features of the Rural South East

• Particularly high quality environment (33 AONB
  and 15 Green Belt)
• Rural distinction blurred with urban
• Agriculture a vital custodian of the landscape
• Remarkably diverse rural economy

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Particular Features of the Rural South East

• Rising traffic levels high car ownership /
  public transport difficult to provide

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Particular Features of the Rural South East

• Rising traffic levels high car ownership /
  public transport difficult to provide
• Pockets of deprivation dangers of overlooking

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Particular Features of the Rural South East

• Rising traffic levels high car ownership /
  public transport difficult to provide
• Pockets of deprivation dangers of overlooking
• Lack of affordable housing

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Affordability Index
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Particular Features of the Rural South East

• Rising traffic levels high car ownership /
  public transport difficult to provide
• Pockets of deprivation dangers of overlooking
• Lack of affordable housing
• Needs for and pressures on natural resources

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Particular Features of the Rural South East

• Rising traffic levels high car ownership /
  public transport difficult to provide
• Pockets of deprivation dangers of overlooking
• Lack of affordable housing
• Needs for and pressures on natural resources
• Growing renewable energy needs
• Economic Partnerships
• Economic Partnerships
• Economic Partnerships
• Economic Partnerships
• Economic Partnerships

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Rural Advisory Group LUC Research (1)

• Aims of the Research
• Inform Policy Development
• Best Practice Examples

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Rural Advisory Group LUC Research (2)

• Recommendations
• Important regional role of rural areas
• But recognition of sub-regional areas
• Difficult questions need addressing commuting
  settlement hierarchies
• Need for evidence base
• An objective-led approach
• Need for affordable housing

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Vision for the Rural South East

• Diverse character and outstanding beauty
• Prosperous and inclusive communities
• Diverse nature of rural areas
• Economic opportunity and enterprise
• Sustainable agriculture
• Transport
• Recreational access for people and visitors
• Adapting to Climate Change
• Sustainable Natural Resource Management

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Key Issues and Questions

• What sort of rural areas do we want in the South
  East by the mid 2020s?
• The need for a clearer vision
• Consensus Blancmange
• Clarity Conflict?
• As now not an option
• Nature of Rural changing
• What will be primary roles?
• Countryside Agency work useful
• S2F2 recommendations very relevant

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Choices and Challenges

• Need to debate priorities
• We are posing some questions and testing your
  response in workshop sessions
• Rural development
• Rural communities
• Farming and Forestry
• Transport
• Recreation and Tourism
• This is the start of the debate now a need for
  real testing

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