Communities Secretary confirms revocation of another regional strategy

The regional strategy for Yorkshire and Humber has been formally revoked, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has confirmed.

An order laid in Parliament earlier this week will take effect on 22 February.

In a written ministerial statement, Pickles said: “The revocation of the regional strategy for Yorkshire and Humber and its flawed top-down targets heralds another important step for localism. It delivers a decentralised planning system where local councils and local people can own the planning agenda for their communities and so shape and deliver development where they live. Such engagement is the key to creating a planning system that works with, not against, local communities.”

However, the Communities Secretary said in the statement that the York Green Belt policies would be retrained.

The minister said: “The City of York does not have a local plan in place with defined Green Belt boundaries. The environmental assessment process indicated that revocation of the York Green Belt policies before an adopted local plan was in place could lead to a significant negative effect upon the special character and setting of York.

“Following careful consideration of the consultation responses received, we have concluded that the best solution would be to retain the York Green Belt policies. This approach expresses the importance that the coalition government places upon the Green Belt and our recognition of its invaluable role in protecting our treasured environmental and cultural heritage.”

Pickles added that once the order takes effect, development plans across the former government office region, with the exception of York, would comprise the relevant local plan, and where they existed, neighbourhood plans.

“In York, the development plan will continue to include the regional strategy’s Green Belt policies,” he said.

The scrapping of the regional strategy for Yorkshire and Humber follows the revocation of the one applying to the East of England, a decision announced by the Communities Secretary in December and taking effect this month.