Hampshire Today

10. Freedom to plan radically in Hampshire is conditioned by what already exists. The importance of existing social and economic investment, the preservation of the natural and historic heritage, and the loyalties of people to their local communities and countryside must all be respected. Any new strategy must evolve from what exists today towards what must be promoted to meet future needs.

11. In southern Hampshire, the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton are twin centres of the largest urban concentration in the South East Region outside London. The influence of the two cities extends far beyond their administrative boundaries. They are major centres of employment. The economic, social and cultural services they provide are irreplaceable. Any diminution of their functions would have profound consequences for the surrounding districts and the whole of Hampshire. There is no realistic future that does not have as its base the enhancement of the two cities and their roles.

12. The coast - the Solent, its harbours and estuaries - has a special character: a mixture of intensive development and open spaces. The Solent is an area of national and international importance for environmental, recreational and commercial reasons. Any further development on the open coast would require justification overriding current conservation policies.

13. Northern Hampshire has its own large urban areas of Andover, Basingstoke and the Blackwater Valley towns. All of these communities have, in the past, been developed to meet needs arising outside Hampshire. Many towns and villages are influenced by pressure from adjoining areas, particularly Greater London, the Thames Valley and Reading.

14. Between southern and northern Hampshire is a broad belt of countryside which gives Hampshire its rural image. Its farmland, woodland and valleys have, for many years, been defended in successive planning strategies as a rural heartland between the London and Reading orientated towns of north-eastern Hampshire, and the south coast communities.

15. South-west Hampshire is dominated by the New Forest, the conservation of which is of international significance. The New Forest Heritage Area, which embraces and surrounds the Forest, requires a special approach towards its use and management. However, communities within the Forest and the urban areas around its edge look outwards and are dependent on Bournemouth or Southampton for many of their social and economic needs.

16. Suburban development has tended to reduce local distinctiveness and sense of place in many parts of Hampshire. The built heritage and countryside need to be protected not only for their own sake, but also to retain Hampshire's attractiveness to investors and tourists. Community identity, a sense of place and belonging, which is part of this heritage, also needs to be defended and, in some places, created or re-established.