REVIEWING THE ADOPTED HAMPSHIRE COUNTY STRUCTURE PLAN

1. Members will be aware that the Hampshire County Structure Plan was adopted in early 2000, and forms the strategic framework for planning policies up to the year 2011. However, since its adoption, a number of important developments have occurred which have led to the Strategic Planning Joint Advisory Panel (SJAP) - the body which advises the County Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council on their statutory strategic planning responsibilities - to recommend to the three Authorities a review of the Plan. These include the issue of new planning guidance by the Government, increased emphasis on issues such as water conservation and climate change, and the desirability of including in the Plan targets and performance indicators. In addition some local authorities are pressing for the Plan to be rolled forward well beyond 2011 so as to provide a long-term strategic planning framework for the next review of their local plans.

2. The Cabinet recognises that it is essential to have in place an appropriate long-term strategic plan for Hampshire and on behalf of the County Council has endorsed SJAP's recommendation; Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils are doing likewise. The precise form of the review is yet to be decided however. The options under planning legislation are an "alteration" which involves changes to only some of the Plan's policies, or the preparation of a "replacement Plan" which would completely supersede the existing one; there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Further analysis will be required by SJAP before it decides which course to recommend to the strategic planning authorities, but the decision to commence the review has enabled the commencement of an in-depth dialogue with stakeholders to commence. Indeed, this dialogue, and all the work associated with it, will inform that decision when - in about six months' time - it needs to be taken.

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