1.1 One of the main tasks of the District Council is planning for the future use of land.This is achieved through the Local Plan. Land is a limited resource under increasing pressure for many types of use. For example, more land will be used to provide buildings to meet our needs for new homes, jobs, shops, community facilities, and open space.
1.2 The existing stock of homes is not sufficient to meet future needs. This is because the number of individual households will continue to grow even though the population of East Hampshire will not increase rapidly. People are living longer than before and elderly people are staying longer in their own homes. Younger people are leaving their family home earlier, for jobs, education, or greater independence. Many people stay single longer and are living alone rather than with their families. There is a growing rate of marriage break-up which results in an increase in the number of households.
1.3 The Local Plan aims to help create mixed and inclusive communities which offer a choice of housing. It is important to assess the existing housing stock and to secure a suitable mix of dwelling size, type and affordability in new housing development to reflect both the existing and the future needs of each community.
1.4 Land is needed to provide modern buildings for industry, offices and shops if we are to maintain a healthy economy and allow our businesses to compete in the 21st Century. Some local firms may need to expand. If new land is not provided for businesses in the Local Plan, some firms may be forced to move out of East Hampshire. Providing land for businesses closer to where people live could help commuters to reduce their long journeys to work.
1.5 Land and buildings are required to meet the changing needs of the community, for example, playing fields, schools, or health and community centres. These types of development must keep pace with new housing and employment to maintain a balanced community and to improve the quality of life for local people.
1.6 East Hampshire is an extremely attractive area in which to live and work. The task of the Local Plan is to allocate areas for new buildings and other uses of land so that they relate well to each other, and are developed in a way that respects the particular character of the towns, villages and the surrounding countryside.
1.7 It is a difficult task to balance development requirements against the need to conserve our environment. There are no easy solutions. The Local Plan aims to accommodate new development in a way that accords with long term objectives and achieves a sustainable outcome for our communities by minimising its impact on the environment and on the biodiversity of the District.
1.8 The Council first adopted a Local Plan for the whole District in 1993. A Review of the District Local Plan was adopted in 1998 but the policies only covered the period to 2001.
1.9 A Second Review of the District Local Plan is needed to make sure that the policies and proposals are still up to date. This document has been prepared as a statutory local plan to guide and control development in East Hampshire District until 31st March, 2011.
1.10 The Local Plan is not prepared in isolation. It must apply national, regional and county-wide policies at the local level and show how they can be interpreted and implemented in East Hampshire. This Plan has been prepared under the planning system that was in operation until 2004. Reference is therefore made throughout the document to Government PPGs (Planning Policy Guidance) and to the County Structure Plan. On adoption this Local Plan was incorporated, along with the Structure Plan, into the new planning system. Planning decisions must now take account of national and regional advice, including Government Planning Policy Statements (PPSs), Circulars and the Regional Spatial Strategy.
1.11 After the First Deposit Plan was prepared, the Government published PPG3:‘Housing’ (March 2000). This aims to promote sustainable patterns of development and to maximise the use of previously developed land, provided that it is suitably located, thereby reducing the need for the development of greenfield land. Local planning authorities are advised to assess the capacity of urban areas (settlements with policy boundaries) so as to accommodate more housing. National planning policy encourages the creation of balanced communities and higher density housing development where sites have good access to local facilities, although it recognises that good design is crucial to creating attractive, high quality living environments. Plans should adopt a sequential approach to the allocation of land for housing development. This Plan is revised to take account of these national policies.
1.12 It has also been prepared to conform to the Hampshire County Structure Plan Review (1996 - 2011). The Structure Plan Review is a strategic document for the whole County and sets out policies which will shape the pattern of development and conservation of the environment in Hampshire in the period up to 2011. This adopted Local Plan, the adopted Hampshire County Structure Plan 1996-2011 (Review) and the adopted Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan together form the Development Plan for East Hampshire District.
1.13 The County Structure Plan Review was adopted by Hampshire County Council in March 2000. It requires local plans across Hampshire to make provision for 94,290 dwellings in the period April 1996 to March 2011. This is made up of a baseline figure of 80,290 dwellings and a reserve provision of 14,000 dwellings. The reserve housing sites will only be released if there is a compelling need. This will depend on the rate at which housing is being provided across the Structure Plan Area as a whole particularly on previously developed sites in built up areas and on sites allocated in Local Plans.
1.14 The number of dwellings to be provided in East Hampshire up to 2011 is 5, 500 which forms part of the County’s baseline figure. The reserve sites in East Hampshire would need to accommodate an additional 1,500 dwellings. The need to bring forward the reserve sites will be determined by the strategic planning authorities (the County Council, Southampton and Portsmouth City Councils) in conjunction with the District Council as part of the annual monitoring of housing supply.
1.15 At the time of the adoption of this Local Plan the outcome of the Inquiry into the Designation of a National Park for the South Downs was unknown. It may not be until 2007 or 2008 that a final decision is made on any confirmation of the Designation Order and the boundaries of the National Park.
1.16 Whilst the possibility of National Park designation is a material consideration in the determination of a planning application, it can carry only limited weight at this stage in the Council's current planning functions.
1.17 As progress is made towards the confirmation of the National Park Destination Order, however, so the materiality of the prospect for it will increase in importance.
1.18 The basis of planning policies for the National Park would include that which applies to AONBs. But these policies would have to take account of the statutory purposes of a National Park and the duties of a National Park Authority, as laid down in the Environment Act 1995.
1.19 If the Order is confirmed under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, the area within the defined boundary would become the area where National Park purposes would apply.
1.20 In the meantime, the Council will not grant planning permission for any development that would prejudice the proposed National Park and its purposes.
1.21 A new National Park Authority would inherit the relevant parts of 15 separate development plans that make up the full coverage of the Designation Order area. An immediate priority will be to prepare its own planning policies in a new Local Development Framework. In the interim, all the local planning authorities across the area may work together to consider the harmonisation of relevant existing key policies.
1.22 The Council has started work on a Local Development Framework (LDF). This must conform with a Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for South East England - the South East Plan - which, when approved, is expected to provide figures for the amount of housing and employment development for each local planning authority area. If the RSS identifies additional pressures for development in those parts of the District not within any established National Park, the Council through its LDF could review the Local Plan policies. Special emphasis could be given to policies to safeguard these other parts of the countryside for its own sake and to protect its landscape, character, appearance and any other relevant matters.
1.23 The Local Plan has several functions. It:
1.24 The Local Plan consists of :
1.25 Individual properties can be identified on the maps (which are based on Ordnance Survey maps). People can then see if there are to be new buildings or other land-uses in their own area, and how the Local Plan might affect them.
1.26 The main policies and proposals of the Plan are set out in bold type and are cross-referenced to the Proposals Map so that the precise areas of land involved can be more easily understood. The Written Statement should be read as a whole. All proposals and policies of the Written Statement will be taken into account when considering development proposals. Should a discrepancy arise between the Written Statement and the Proposals Map, then the Written Statement prevails.
1.27 The Council will determine planning applications in accordance with the Plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Material considerations must be genuine planning considerations that are related to the development and use of land in the public interest. Many of the policies contain criteria that must be met if the proposed development is to be allowed. If a planning application does not comply with the criteria and would cause demonstrable harm to interests of acknowledged importance, then it will be refused. Harm must be more than trivial to justify refusal of planning permission. There is no need to qualify harm by such terms as “unacceptable”, “serious” or “significant”, however the omission of these qualifications does not diminish the force of the policies in the Plan.
1.28 Where the Local Plan is not relevant, for example where there are no relevant policies, or where policies pull in different directions so that there is no clear guide for a particular proposal, the planning application should be determined on its merits in the light of all material considerations.
1.29 The Plan does not attempt to specify an approved land use for every part of the District but refers instead to those areas where a particular policy or new land use will be applied. If a specific land use is not identified for a site then the District Council anticipates that the existing authorised use of the site will be continued, provided that it does not conflict with any other policies or proposals made in the Plan.
1.30 Where appropriate, the Council will amplify the policies of the Plan through supplementary planning documents or non-statutory planning guidance, including development briefs or guidelines for individual sites. These will be used as a material consideration in determining planning applications. There will be consultation on development briefs before they are adopted by the Council. Supplementary planning documents will be subject to public consultation except for minor amendments.
1.31 The Plan has tried to avoid jargon and too many technical words. Where such words have been used they are explained in a Glossary of Terms in Appendix A.
1.32 Government legislation governs the way in which the Local Plan is prepared.
1.33 As well as taking into account Government advice and strategic requirements, the District Council is committed to involving the local community in helping to shape East Hampshire’s future. The Local Plan Second Review has been prepared as part of this approach. Ideas on the future of the District were obtained from the local community during the Council’s work to develop a Local Agenda 21 Strategy (a comprehensive programme of action for the 21st Century, endorsed at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, and aimed at achieving a more sustainable pattern of development). The issue of sustainable development is explained in Chapter 2.
1.34 This process involved public consultation, meetings with town and parish councils, area forums, workshops and focus group meetings with community groups and businesses. These discussions focused on local priorities and how we can work towards sustainable development.
1.35 Comments and ideas from the consultation exercise which related to land use were taken into account in preparing a Magazine on the Local Plan ‘Your Area, Your Future’, which set out the strategy, themes and policies for the new Plan. This was published for a six week consultation period between May and June 1998. The Magazine was distributed to every household and business in the District. A short questionnaire was included to gain feedback on the strategy and the policies.
1.36 The Council received nearly 2,000 responses. 93% of respondents were residents. The rest were amenity groups, town or parish councils, statutory consultees, developers or landowners and business interests. The Consultation exercise on the Magazine was very successful in generating a wide range of views and issues which has helped to influence the content of this Local Plan Second Review.
1.38 Over 2,000 respondents wrote to the Council to support or to object to the Plan (First Deposit) which was published for public consultation towards the end of 1999. The Council analysed these comments and, where possible, negotiated with objectors to find out if there is a way of changing the Plan to overcome their concerns. Changes were incorporated into the Plan (Second Deposit) to take account of objections to the First Deposit Plan, the approved County Structure Plan Review (1996 - 2011) and new Government Guidance.
1.39 Any remaining objections, or any new objections to the changes made to the revised Plan that could not be resolved, were considered by an independent Inspector (appointed by the Government) at a Local Plan Inquiry. The Inquiry took place from April 2003 to May 2004. The Council then considered the Inspector’s recommendations and made Modifications to the Plan. There was an opportunity for public comment on the Modifications.
1.40 The Local Plan is a key document for the Council but it only contains land use policies. It is complemented by a number of non-statutory documents relating to other Council activities, strategies or policies.
1.41 The ‘Community Strategy’ is the main corporate document which sets out the priorities and objectives for the Council . It includes the broad objectives for the Council as a whole, and those that can be achieved through working in partnership with other agencies, organisations and the community.
1.42 The ‘Community Strategy’ requires the Local Plan and other Council documents to promote sustainable development.