We need your help to meet this threat to rural East Hampshire
A new Government consultation on planning proposes an ‘immense’ increase in the number of homes to be built in East Hampshire.
The proposals include an 86 per cent increase in our housing number - going from 575 homes a year to 1,074.
The Government is contacting councils across the country as it revises its planning guidelines through a consultation entitled “Playing your part in building the homes we need”.
You can have your say on the proposals
Cllr Richard Millard, EHDC Leader, said: “We are happy to 'play our part' and accept that some new housing is needed – we have been progressing our Local Plan that included proposed development sites.
“But these new numbers are immense and could destroy our rural district if they come to fruition. They will lead to endless planning by appeal, change the character of the district and entirely undermine the plan-led system of Local Plans.”
We have been putting pressure on the Government to look sensibly at this issue.
As soon as the new Government was in place Cllr Millard wrote to Angela Rayner MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government, explaining the unfair system of calculating housing numbers and asking her to look at the unique situation of East Hampshire.
With around 57 per cent of the district inside the South Downs National Park and covered by planning constraints, it means that the largest proportion of development in East Hampshire must be built in the smallest part.
Cllr Millard said: “The previous housing figures were already difficult to achieve and unfairly distributed across the district.
“These new proposals make that even more difficult with more and more housing sites to be found in areas that have already seen a lot of development.
“You cannot squeeze a quart into a pint pot.
“The council will submit a strong response to this consultation, setting out the serious harm this scale of development will bring and the excessive pressure it will put on our already-stretched infrastructure and services.
“We need your help to raise awareness of this threat to our district. We encourage local organisations and residents to read the consultation material and respond with comments. These proposals are a massive threat to the future of East Hampshire.”
The Government intends to publish the revised NPPF by Christmas. The consultation closes on 24 September 2024 at 11.45pm.