The South Downs National Park revealed how many homes it plans to build in East Hampshire last week – and for anyone living in Alton, Whitehill & Bordon, Four Marks or the southern parishes it made for a shocking read.
In case you haven’t been following this issue, the new Government has announced proposals to almost double the number of homes East Hampshire must build by 2040, from 574 to 1,074 every single year.
That’s already an eye-watering increase in development but when you consider that more than half the district is covered by the South Downs National Park it becomes a real problem.
The SNDP uses its own Local Plan and makes its own decisions on where it builds new homes. It can cherry pick how many homes it wants to build inside the national park and leave the rest to be shouldered by the towns and villages outside its boundary.
Last week the national park’s planners announced it was their intention to take fewer than 60 of East Hampshire’s annual target inside the park – you don’t need to be Carol Vorderman to work out that leaves a crushing 1,000 homes a year to be found outside the park’s gilded boundaries.
Planning guidelines dictate that development generally gravitates towards existing settlements, so much of that new housing must necessarily go to Alton, Whitehill & Bordon, Four Marks or the southern parishes – places that have already seen more than their fair share of development.
How is that fair?
We understand that a national park is a place to be preserved and enjoyed – but these negligible housing numbers are a slap in the face to residents who prize their own local surroundings just as highly.
You don’t just have to live in the national park to enjoy spectacular landscapes and natural beauty. East Hampshire is rich with it, up and down its length, and it all deserves to be recognised and protected.
Quite frankly, it’s becoming more than a little irritating that the residents of East Hampshire outside the golden boundary of the park see the natural beauty of their own landscapes overlooked and ignored.
What’s more, over-protecting the park will do its residents no favours in the long run.
As a council we want the best outcomes and quality of life for all our residents. The South Downs National Park Authority needs to accept that development is essential to sustain communities and avoid decline.
While I recognise the park’s priorities, the needs of the people who live there must come first.
If you don't plan for more housing your towns and villages will decay, homes become unaffordable, fewer families and young people can stay, schools will close, infrastructure and services will wither.
The South Downs National Park can't operate as a visitor attraction only - it is a living part of our community and if it does not grow it will decline.