Regional planning in England was undertaken for each of the nine regions, from the 1990s until 2010.[1] In the eight English regions outside London, regional assemblies were formed in 1998, and were responsible for physical planning policy through Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS). From 1999, Regional Development Agencies co-ordinated initiatives to improve economic development. The assemblies were effectively replaced by smaller Local Authority Leaders’ Boards between 2008 and 2010, and formally abolished on 31 March 2010.[2]
In June 2010, the incoming Coalition Government announced its intentions to abolish regional spatial strategies and return spatial planning powers to local government.[3][4][5] In March 2011, the all-party Commons Communities and Local Government Committee published its report on the implications of the abolition of the RSS system. It stated that: "The intended abolition of regional spatial planning strategies leaves a vacuum at the heart of the English planning system which could have profound social, economic and environmental consequences set to last for many years."[6]
These changes did not affect the directly elected London Assembly, which was established by separate legislation as part of the Greater London Authority.
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