East Hampshire residents can have their say on housing issues direct to the Government through a national consultation on proposed changes to planning regulations, policies and guidance.
The consultation, run by the Department of Levelling-Up, Housing and Communities, follows rigorous lobbying by East Hampshire District Council, where we have argued that nationally-set housing figures are too high.
The consultation seeks people’s views on proposed updates to the country’s planning rules, called the National Planning Policy Framework.
It proposes to look again at how housing targets are calculated and aims to put local communities at the heart of the planning system.
The government says it will review the standard method for calculating local housing targets as a result of the 2021 Census, and the results of this review will be published in 2024. In the meantime, the Government has also suggested it could use alternative methods of calculating housing need, depending on local circumstances.
EHDC Leader, Cllr Richard Millard, said: “It has long been our opinion that the method the Government uses to calculate housing figures is inadequate and unfair for areas like East Hampshire.
“This consultation is a hugely significant shift in the right direction, and it comes directly as a result of the pressure applied to the Government by councils such as EHDC.
“East Hampshire is in a unique position in that over half of it is covered by the South Downs National Park, yet we are expected to deliver the majority of the homes.
“We need more clarity from the Government on how these changes will take account of the constraints the national park places on us.
“I know some residents are concerned about housing targets in their area. This consultation gives them the chance to make their case direct to those who set those targets.”
Consultation on reforms to national planning policy
The consultation runs to 2 March.