The Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (“EMRA”) Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (“RSES”) should provide a long-term regional level strategic planning and economic framework in support of the implementation of the National Planning Framework (“NPF”) and the economic policies and objectives of the Government.

The RSES should address in greater detail at a regional scale, identifying regional assets, opportunities and pressures. Distributing future population growth and development across the region in a balanced manner.

It is essential that the RSES acknowledges a global environment of increasing climate impact and ecological destruction.

It poses the challenge of accommodating the projected increase in the needs of the region’s current and future population are met (access to high quality housing, jobs, sustainable modes of transport) and provides for the overall health and wellbeing and advances the quality of life of the citizens.

It requires clearly stated, implementable and legally enforceable targets to meet these objectives, in tandem with Strategic Environmental Assessment (“SEA”), Appropriate Assessment (“AA”) and Strategic Flood Assessment (“SFRA”).

The RSES should be committed to making the Region’s cities, towns and villages healthy, attractive and sustainable, and improve the citizens quality of life both now and in the future.

The RSES should be a progressive tool for defining a core set of spatial principles for allocating resources and developing a human environment consistent with the overarching meta-governance challenge of the coming century, emphasise the need to rapidly decarbonise and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050 in order to avoid the worst impacts of anthropogenic global warming and be a tool for fostering environmental, social and spatial justice in adapting to the inevitable consequences of climate change and resource depletion.

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