A BLUEPRINT to boost the quality of life in the North-East and combat the damage caused by an industrial past was unveiled by home rule campaigners yesterday.

Targets to raise educational standards, protect the environment, ensure high levels of employment, cut back waste levels and reduce crime were outlined in a shared vision for the region's future.

Campaigners hope the document, produced for the North-East Assembly which is campaigning for self-government, will provide a base for future sustainable development.

Speaking at the launch yesterday, Phil Hughes, chairman of Sustainability North- East, which prepared the document for the assembly, said 200 years of industrial development had left its mark.

It had made life better for many people but had also brought considerable damage to the economy, environment and social fabric.

"We can't go on like that indefinitely," he said. "We have got to change direction and bring in a different sort of development, one that meets people's needs without compromising the future."

He said he hoped the document would influence those who are making decisions, both at a local and national level. But that decision must take into account social, environmental and economic effects.

Contaminated land sites from the North-East's industrial past was one factor outlined in the document which was causing a headache for local authorities.

Tony Flynn, chairman of the North-East Assembly and leader of Newcastle City Council, said: "All local authorities are struggling at the moment with the cost of landfill tax and what it does with waste. The obvious solution would be to work with other authorities in the region and to have a common approach."

Dr John Bridge, chairman of regional development agency One NorthEast, said it was important words were converted into action.

"We must make absolutely certain that we don't now put this on the shelf," he said.

"It is a helpful mechanism to bind together all of the resources that are going into economic regeneration in the North-East."

Other issues tackled in the blueprint include improving health, increasing public involvement in decision making, and enhancing the region's cultural heritage.

l For a detailed look at the sustainability framework see www.sustaine.com