My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Communities is today publishing her decisions on the recommendations of the independent panel, who were appointed by the Secretary of State to conduct an examination in public into the draft East of England Plan, together with her proposed changes to that plan, for public consultation. Also published are the reports of the sustainability appraisal and an assessment in accordance with the European habitats directive.

The East of England Plan is crucial to putting in place the Government's sustainable growth strategy within the east of England. It builds on the foundations of the draft East of England Plan, which was prepared by the East of England Regional Assembly, and the findings of the independent panel.

The East of England Plan will replace the regional planning guidance for East Anglia and relevant parts of the regional planning guidance for the south-east within the regional spatial strategy for the east of England. It contains the regional transport strategy. Its main purpose is to provide a framework for local planning authorities to prepare their development plan documents, which must be in general conformity with it.

The strategy aims to guide development in the east of England to 2021 and to set in place a direction of travel for the longer term. It requires the provision of 508,000 dwellings within the region between 2001 and 2021.

The panel concluded that much of the draft was broadly sound, but sought to remedy a number of weaknesses. It concluded that the case for higher growth was made and that it must and can be reconciled with sustainability and environmental constraints. It supported the spatial strategy with development focussed on the main urban areas, such as Cambridge, Peterborough and Stevenage, including the recently announced new growth points at Norwich, Colchester, Ipswich and Thetford. The panel identified Hemel Hempstead, Welwyn/Hatfield and Chelmsford as additional growth locations close to London.

Other aspects of the strategy where the panel recommended changes include the regional transport strategy, the waste strategy, policies for achieving efficiency savings in water and energy consumption, and policies for improving water resource and waste water infrastructure.

We are grateful for the recommendations of the panel, the large majority of which we accept. However, we are proposing some changes from them to address homelessness and affordability and ensure that development is fully sustainable. In particular, the need to reduce carbon emissions has grown in urgency. We are requiring local authorities to promote renewable and low carbon energy development and the regional assembly to develop regional trajectories for the carbon performance of new development. We are putting a stronger emphasis on Harlow as a major growth location. We have also identified Watford as a key development centre.

In regard to green belt, we have indicated that the review at Harlow should extend to the north of the town and clarified that the review at Welwyn/Hatfield may extend into St Albans. We have added additional guidance on the basis for assessing the area to be released and are requiring compensatory green belt extensions, which will increase the extent of green belt in the region. In regard to transport, we have identified priority areas where further measures are needed to tackle congestion and support growth.

The sustainability appraisal concludes that the proposed changes are in accordance with the principles of sustainable development and that the additional growth and changes to distribution do not give rise to adverse environmental impacts.

The panel recommended a broader approach to housing growth with a greater role for areas close to London. Subject to this being reflected in the final East of England Plan, we will consider what support may be necessary to such towns where high rates of growth will require significant investment and co-ordination. We will aim to ensure that they can benefit from the infrastructure and delivery support from growth area funding and related measures.

I have today written to the East of England Regional Assembly with the proposed changes. The public consultation period will end on 9 March 2007. Following consideration of responses to the consultation, the Secretary of State is expected to publish the finalised East of England Plan in mid-2007. Copies of the relevant documents, together with the reports of the sustainability appraisal and habitats directive assessment, are available in the Libraries of both Houses and have been provided for all of the region's MPs, MEPs and local authorities.