Public asked to comment on housing plans in the park
East Hampshire residents can have their say on housing plans inside the South Downs National Park through a consultation opening this week.
The consultation opened on Monday 20 January and will run until Monday 17 March
The South Downs National Park Authority is a separate planning authority to EHDC and prepares its own Local Plan for the whole of the South Downs – including the area of East Hampshire that is inside the park.
The Government sets housing targets for the whole of East Hampshire so the number of homes built inside the park through the SDNPA’s Local Plan has a direct impact on the number of homes which must be delivered in the rest of the district.
In December the Government increased the mandatory housing figure for East Hampshire from 575 to 1,142 homes a year. This is a 98 per cent increase.
We have called on the South Downs National Park Authority to take a fair share of these homes inside the park. Currently the SDNP Local Plan Review proposes around 60 homes a year.
National planning policies also require East Hampshire to attempt to accommodate housing from the national park and other neighbouring planning authorities that cannot meet their own targets.
Public meetings
The South Downs National Park Authority is hosting two public meetings on the consultation in East Hampshire.
- Petersfield – Wednesday, 29 January between 6.30pm and 8.30pm at Festival Hall, Heath Road, GU31 4EA
- Liphook – Saturday, 1 February between 2pm and 5pm at Liphook Church Centre, Portsmouth Road, GU30 7DJ
Cllr Angela Glass, EHDC Portfolio Holder for Regulation & Enforcement, which includes Planning, said a certain level of development is healthy for towns and villages and without it communities can stagnate.
She said: “While a highly protected area, national parks should seek to sustain their communities and avoid decline. To do this they need to provide a reasonable amount of new housing, particularly affordable housing, in key areas such as Petersfield. However, the SDNP Local Plan Review is only proposing to deliver a small number of new homes.
“The council is concerned for all residents within East Hampshire and wants the best outcomes and quality of life for all. As such, we think the SDNPA Local Plan Review needs to grapple with day-to-day issues facing local communities and be clear on how it is planning to sustain communities and avoid decline.
“While we recognise the landscape priorities of the SDNPA, the needs of the people who live in the SDNP should also be a high priority.
"We encourage all residents of East Hampshire, whether living in the SDNP or outside of it, to look carefully at this consultation and respond, particularly thinking of the local housing needs and the future vitality of settlements in the SDNP."