Coalition cancels regional plans backing live/work

The government has cancelled a string of regional spatial strategies which back live/work development. Communities secretary Eric Pickles announced at the Local Government Association’s annual conference that the nine RSSs were being revoked with immediate effect.

The south west, south east and north west strategies all contained policies specifically backing live/work development.

Under the government’s plans, councils will have the freedom to prepare local plans. Pickles said: "I promised to get rid of them and today I'm revoking regional plans with immediate effect - hammering another nail in the coffin of unwanted and an unaccountable regional bureaucracy.”

The coalition has also reversed its Labour government predecessor’s pledge to roll out high speed broadband across the UK’s rural areas by 2012. Pickles’ announcement can be viewed here