Neighbouring councils are calling on East Hampshire District Council to shoulder part of their housing burden, saying they do not have the land to meet their own Government-set target.
Portsmouth City Council, Gosport Borough Council and Havant Borough Council say they cannot find the sites to meet their own target and have asked other Hampshire councils, including EHDC, to pick up some of their slack.
East Hampshire must already find sites to accommodate more than 15,000 homes on land outside the South Downs National Park. Now we must look at the request from our neighbours and consider if we have the capacity to absorb any of their shortfall too.
Councillor Richard Millard, EHDC Leader, said: "Christmas may be the season of goodwill to all men and women but East Hampshire is not a development dumping ground.
"It is our legal duty to look carefully at the unmet needs of other councils as they have asked us to do. But make no mistake, we will put East Hampshire first in every decision we make.
“Delivering the homes our communities need remains one of the most significant challenges facing local authorities across the country. Government housing targets set ambitious expectations, but they do not always reflect the unique circumstances of individual areas."
A recent study has helped to split the housing number between us and the SDNP, suggesting our share would be at least 832 homes a year, less than previously thought. However, this number may go back up when we consider if we can assist with any unmet needs from nearby.
The next public consultation on the Local Plan will take place around summer 2026. After that, it will be scrutinised by a Government-appointed Planning Inspector at a public hearing in 2027.