South West Hampshire Green Belt

100. The South West Hampshire Green Belt was originally established in the South West Hampshire Structure Plan (1982), extending across most of the New Forest to the coast and to the Hampshire/Dorset boundary where it joined the South East Dorset Green Belt.

101. On 14 July 1994, the Minister for the Environment and the Countryside announced that the Government intended `to apply to the wider New Forest area (the New Forest Heritage Area) the same planning policies as would apply if that area were a national park'. More recently (29 September 1999), the Deputy Prime Minister announced that he had asked the Countryside Agency to `consider designating a New Forest National Park' and the Agency has decided to proceed towards designation (see Policy NF1).

102. In the light of this additional protection afforded to the area, Green Belt designation for the New Forest is no longer appropriate. The purposes of Green Belts set out in PPG2 are not consistent with Green Belt designation of the Forest, and the advice on appropriate development in Green Belts is inconsistent with the need to protect the Forest. Also the Green Belt does not extend over all the Heritage Area and it would be inconsistent to apply different policies in different parts of the Area.

103. There is, nevertheless, justification for the continued protection of the Avon Valley south of Ringwood and the coastal fringe from development pressures, through the retention of the Green Belt in this area, retaining continuity with the South East Dorset Green Belt.

G4 A Green Belt will be maintained in South West Hampshire south of Ringwood between the county boundary, coast and New Forest Heritage Area. Proposals for development within it will be subject to policies to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas; prevent neighbouring towns from merging into one another and assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment.

104. The South West Hampshire Green Belt will: check the sprawl of existing built-up areas; prevent neighbouring settlements from merging; assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment and preserve the setting of towns and villages, in particular the special character of the historic towns of Lymington and Ringwood. The Green Belt will also assist in protecting the New Forest by restricting urban pressures in the adjacent coastal zone. It abuts the approved South East Dorset Green Belt, with which it shares several common purposes in restraining the outward growth of the Bournemouth conurbation and preserving the separate identity of settlements.

105. Detailed Green Belt boundaries around settlements have already been defined in local plans and allow for safeguarded land to meet longer-term development needs. Local plans will need to be reviewed to delete the Green Belt designation from the New Forest and to define the new boundary.

106. Development within the South West Hampshire Green Belt will be severely restricted to that which is appropriate in the Green Belt. There is a general presumption against inappropriate development in the Green Belt, and such development will not be approved except in very special circumstances. Full current guidance on Government Policy for development in Green Belts is set out in PPG2. Management of the land may be needed to retain land in agricultural and related uses, conserve and enhance the landscape and nature conservation interest, and improve recreational opportunities.

Policy G5, relating to the Forests of Bere and Eversley, and the relevant notation on the Key Diagram have been deleted from the adopted Hampshire County Structure Plan 1996-2011 (Review) following an order made in the High Court of Justice on 29th November 2000.

The explanatory text in paragraphs 107-109 relating to Policy G5 has also been deleted.

The order also required that the final bullet points in Policies MDA2 and MDA3 be deleted.