CREATING new jobs and homes must be done by various organisations together.

In response to the need to deliver growth by building more homes and business space across East Sussex, a planning protocol has been agreed.t process.

The protocol was launched at a meeting of Team East Sussex in Bexhill.

It is a first of its kind for the area and sets out a shared approach to development by developers, planners and local authorities.

It has been agreed by all of the district councils in East Sussex, East Sussex County Council, Developers East Sussex and East Sussex Planning and Housing Officers Groups, supported by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership.

Graham Peters, chairman of Team East Sussex, said: “A tremendous amount of work has gone into bringing the protocol to this stage.

“It clearly demonstrates the shared commitment between business and local authorities to more effective collaborative joint working and clarifies what this means in practice for the planning process.”

The protocol has four top commitments:

• We will ensure that appropriate resources are made available to deliver an efficient, high-quality planning service

• We will promote training opportunities

• We will communicate in an open and transparent way

• We will increase certainty and consistency.

Derek Godfrey, chairman of Developers East Sussex, said: “Although not a binding document in planning terms, the protocol sets out a shared and public commitment to working together to deliver high-quality and sustainable development for East Sussex which we have now all signed up to.”

Ed Sheath from the East Sussex Planning Liaison Group said: “The aim is for all those involved in the delivery of new homes and jobs across East Sussex to work positively together to ensure that all new development is of high quality and serves the needs of the people.

“We anticipate considerable advantages and efficiencies in developing this approach further and will work with all parties concerned to maximise the benefits that will result.”

The protocol sets out:

“In East Sussex, we have significant development needs but are ambitious for growth.

“Government projections show that the population of East Sussex will rise by 90,000 (a 16.5 per cent increase) over the next 20 years.

“Such a population rise will necessitate a concerted housing delivery programme across the county.

“This will be particularly challenging in East Sussex with large parts of the county subject to AONB and National Park designation and there being significant infrastructure needs to support this growth.”