Glossary

Regional aggregates working parties: Bodies that provide technical advice in relation to the supply of, and demand for, construction aggregates to each regional planning body, minerals planning authorities and the secretary of state for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
Regional assembly: Voluntary, multi-party bodies in every English region outside London. The assemblies act as regional planning bodies. The assemblies are made up of local authority members (60% minimum) and representatives from other sectors (30% minimum), including education, business, unions, the arts, health, voluntary organisations, rural and environmental groups and other regional stakeholders.
Regional development agency: Non-departmental bodies, set up in every English region, under the responsibility of the Department for Trade and Industry. Their primary role is to drive economic development within their respective region. The main policies of a regional development agency are set out in its regional economic strategy.
Regional economic strategy: Each regional development agency sets out its main policies in a regional economic strategy. This can have highly significant implications for land use, for example in allocations of land, although the strategy is supposed to have regard to the regional spatial strategy.
Regional planning body: The body that prepares, monitors and reviews the regional planning guidance for its region. In every English region this is now the regional assembly.
Regional planning guidance notes: Non-statutory policy guidance and advice issued for each region in England by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in collaboration with the regional planning bodies. Regional planning guidance will be replaced over the next couple of years by regional spatial strategies
Regional spatial strategy: Statutory regional spatial strategies will replace non-statutory regional planning guidance notes produced for each English region. Regional spatial strategies will be part of the development plan. As a consequence, they are likely to be more detailed and will carry much more weight in relation to determining planning applications. In London, the spatial development strategy prepared by the mayor forms the regional spatial strategy.
Regional transport strategies: Statutory documents which provide the long-term strategic framework for transport. They will inform local development frameworks, local transport plans and transport operators in developing their plans and programmes. They highlight transport needs and integrated strategies for meeting them. They are produced by the regional planning body and will from now on form part of the regional spatial strategy.
Route management strategy: A 10-year strategy which sets out and guides all Highways Agency actions and spending on an identified route in terms of maintenance, operation and improvement. The strategy is updated annually and reviewed every three years.