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East Hampshire Local Plan: Let’s go round again

East Hampshire have published a Regulation 18 Local Plan for consultation between 21 November 2022 and 16 January 2023 [1]. This confirms that the council are starting the Local Plan process again, having undertaken a previous Regulation 18 consultation, as well as separate a Large Sites’ consultation, back in 2019.

This follows the decision made at the Full Council back on 19 May 2022 by the newly appointed Council Leader, that ‘as part of a greater focus on tackling the green agenda, the Local Plan would be suspended from progressing to Regulation 19.’

The new Regulation 18 Local Plan focusses on key themes and does not propose any specific allocations or policies. These themes include: the climate emergency; population and housing; the environment; and infrastructure, all of which are considered to have changed significantly since 2019. Where circumstances have changed little, such as with transport, employment and heritage, as these have been considered in detail previously, the council are of the view that sufficient information has been gathered on these so they do not feature.

The council has used the Standard Method as advised by current national guidance. Of interest is that this follows specifically commissioned work to assess whether there was justification for taking a revised approach to assessing housing requirements. This concluded that there is no evidence to suggest that data feeding into the Standard Method is substantially wrong, a welcome conclusion. There are a number of authorities that have deferred progress on Local Plan’s to challenge the Standard Method approach, for example Basingstoke & Deane.

For the East Hampshire Local Plan this means the housing need is 517 homes per year, which over the emerging plan period (2021-2040) equates to 9,823 homes. Once existing supply (completions, sites with planning permission, existing allocations, and a windfall allowance) is factored in, the council consider this equates to about 3,405 new homes to be planned for through the Local Plan.

However, this does not take into account meeting some of the needs of the South Downs National Park Authority. The council estimate that, relevant to East Hampshire, this could add a further 115 new homes per year to the requirement.

In addition, the southern parishes of Clanfield, Horndean and Rowlands Castle may well be expected to accommodate some of the wider needs of the Planning for South Hampshire (PfSH) sub-region, and more specifically the housing market area that includes Portsmouth, Havant and Waterlooville. In particular, it is expected that Portsmouth will not be able to meet all its needs and therefore some provision in adjoining authorities is to be expected.

It is understood that the PfSH authorities have commenced work on a revised sub-regional planning statement, which includes housing provision across each authority, that will feed into the Local Plan as a statement of common ground.

But what of potential locations to accommodate this housing requirement? The new Plan is seeking views on four high level options:

  1. Disperse new development to a wider range of settlements: housing growth should be distributed to more settlements, but in accordance with a revised settlement hierarchy that prioritises accessibility by walking and cycling;
  2. concentrate new development in the largest settlements: housing growth should be focused on larger settlements with more facilities and services;
  3. distribute new development by population: housing growth should be distributed in proportion to existing population levels; and 
  4. concentrate development in new areas: housing growth should be concentrated in a new settlement, or in a large urban expansion to one or more existing settlements. 

With the exception of a new settlement, all of the above options are likely to require reasonable levels of growth, identified by new allocations within and adjacent to the larger towns and villages within East Hampshire. It is noteworthy there is no reference to the previous work and evidence gathering undertaken on the previous large site’s consultation, suggesting this is a genuine fresh start to assessing the right locations for development.

Of course, the Plan is not only about meeting housing needs, but also sets out some highly ambitious ‘green’ targets, not least that all new homes built in accordance with the emerging Local Plan would be zero-carbon homes. There is also an emphasis on reducing travel distances and increasing opportunities for walking and cycling as a means of transport by creating ‘20 minute neighbourhoods’.

Securing bio-diversity enhancements is also a central theme, and an Infrastructure Plan is being prepared alongside the Local Plan infrastructure. This will identify the infrastructure needed to support the growth planned, how it will be delivered and by whom.

It is hoped that this Plan marks the start of a concerted effort by the council to ensure future development needs are shaped by plan-making, and will deliver on the significant current and future housing needs of the authority, and as necessary, adjoining areas.

If you would like to discuss what this new East Hampshire Local Plan will mean for development in the region, please get in touch with Simon Packer.

22 November 2022

[1] https://www.easthants.gov.uk/local-plan-consultation