Council set to restart work on a new local plan – and use a new planning tool to improve the quality of development
East Hampshire is ready to plan for its future.
The council’s Cabinet is being asked to approve work on a new local plan for the part of the district outside the South Downs National Park, alongside a new supplementary plan that could bring improvements to the quality of new development much sooner.
The proposals, recommended by the Planning Policy Committee, will go before Cabinet on Thursday 12 November.
The supplementary plan will focus on good design, local character, landscaping, green infrastructure, climate resilience, parking, movement and nature recovery.
Importantly, it can be prepared more quickly than a full local plan. That means the council can start putting stronger expectations around the quality and sustainability of new development into planning decisions while the bigger plan is being prepared.
Time to get on with it
East Hampshire’s plan-making has been through a lot of change. There have been major changes to national planning policy, a move to a new planning system and plans for local government reorganisation.
The council changed course to take account of those changes – only for the Government to withdraw its decision on Hampshire’s reorganisation in September. Now the position is clear. The Government has made clear that local government reorganisation should not be used as a reason to delay local plans. So East Hampshire is moving forward.
The new local plan process is expected to take around 30 months. The council will build on existing evidence, planning work and previous consultation rather than starting from scratch.
A big challenge
And there is plenty to plan for. The Government’s December 2024 changes to national planning policy almost doubled East Hampshire’s housing target, to more than 1,000 homes a year.
That is a particularly significant challenge for a district where 57 per cent of the land lies within the South Downs National Park. EHDC is the planning authority for the remaining 43 per cent.
The council has repeatedly challenged the Government over the way housing need is calculated for areas affected by national parks. So far, that position has not changed. The council now has to plan for that housing pressure while protecting East Hampshire’s character and making sure new development is supported by the infrastructure, services and facilities communities need.
Cllr Angela Glass, Portfolio Holder for Regulation and Enforcement, said: “East Hampshire has had to deal with change after change from Government – new planning rules, new housing numbers and the uncertainty around local government reorganisation.
“We cannot control the number of homes Government tells us to plan for, or the boundary of the South Downs National Park. But we can control how we plan for growth and what we expect from new development.
“That is what these plans are about – giving East Hampshire a clear vision for the future and making sure new development is well designed, sustainable and supported by the infrastructure our communities need.
“We have already done a lot of the groundwork. Now it is time to put that work to good use and start shaping the future of East Hampshire.”