Archived decisions

Contact: Jonathan Crabb, ext 6047

1. Summary

1.1 The Borough and District Councils within the South West Hampshire Transportation (SWHT) area are progressing their respective Local Plan Reviews. This report summarises their current position.

2. New Forest Local Plan Review

2.1 In July 2001, following a targeted consultation process as previously reported to the Panel, New Forest District Council placed on deposit the First Alteration to its District Local Plan.

2.2 The First Alteration aims to bring the Local Plan into line with the County Structure Plan Review (March 2000) and take on board appropriate elements of the Hampshire Local Transport Plan and Government planning policy guidance. It will enable the Plan, which provides for development needs broadly to 2001, to extend its horizon to 2011.

2.3 The First Alteration proposes no significant new development allocations outside the existing built-up areas. It does, however, propose:

(i) new `reserve' sites to be safeguarded for future housing and industrial development if required (including sites for about 45 dwellings at Marchwood);

(ii) transfer of a site at Totton currently allocated for housing development to the `reserve site' category;

(iii) continued development on suitable sites in the main settlements and previously-allocated urban extension sites (totalling about 370 dwellings per annum over the district as a whole - including the New Forest and coastal towns);

(iv) traffic management measures on the A35 Totton Bypass/Redbridge Causeway (likely to take the form of high-occupancy vehicle priority measures);

(v) removal of the formal safeguarding for a new loop road linking the A326 and A35 at Colbury;

(vi) local access improvements at Ashurst;

(vii) new or improved pedestrian and cycle routes in Totton, Ashurst, Marchwood, Dibden, Holbury, Blackfield, Fawley and Calshot;

(viii) changes in relation to parking provision on development sites, strengthening control over the provision of additional car parking space but also addressing the safety and environmental implications of not always meeting car parking demand on site;

(ix) a requirement for new rural health, social service and community facilities to be located so as to maximise opportunities for access by non-car transport modes;

(x) a new section of the Plan dealing with Totton, Hythe and other town centres in the district; defining the extent of each town centre, identifying primary shopping areas and increasing the scope for appropriate non-retail town centre uses (especially entertainment and social activity) in the parts of the town centre outside those primary shopping areas;

(xi) a new policy recognising and protecting the special role of Rumbridge Street within Totton town centre;

(xii) continued safeguarding of land for the Hythe town centre relief road and Stage 3 of the Dibden Distributor Road, pending reassessment of each proposal;

(xiii) bringing forward for construction by 2011 the Totton town centre relief road, subject to assessment of the effects of traffic restraint measures and environmental improvements to be implemented in the earlier years of the decade;

(xiv) deletion of the proposed Brokenford Lane relief road in Totton;

(xv) bringing forward for implementation by 2011 new rail station proposals at Hounsdown, Marchwood and Hythe; and

(xvi) improvement of Bury Road, Marchwood and Jacob's Gutter Lane in association with industrial development at Marchwood (subject to special care being taken to minimise impacts upon the unique character and quality of the New Forest and upon the Eling conservation area).

(Proposed changes affecting only parts of the district outside the SWHT area not listed.)

2.4 More than 1,500 objections and other representations have been received. Issues raised include:

(i) the effect of wildlife and landscape protection designations in constraining infrastructure proposals in the A326 corridor;

(ii) the revised policy for parking provision on development sites;

(iii) definition of Totton town centre boundary and primary shopping area and treatment of Rumbridge Street;

(iv) local issues regarding new rail stations, footpaths and cycle routes; and

(v) various matters relating to the housing `reserve' sites.

2.5 Analysis of these representations has been delayed by the need to prepare a supplementary deposit document proposing alterations to housing policies in response to new Government guidance. A comprehensive analysis, together with recommendations for any further changes to be made and incorporated in a revised deposit document, will be considered by the District Council in the spring. Following the revised deposit period it is expected that a public local inquiry into unresolved objections will start in the autumn.

3. Eastleigh Local Plan Review

3.1 The Eastleigh Borough Local Plan: Review First Deposit has been approved for the first of the statutory consultation procedures. It is therefore intended to put the Plan on deposit between 4 March and 17 April 2002. Comments and objections to this will then be considered and, if appropriate, the Plan modified prior to putting it on second deposit during October 2002.

3.2 It is estimated that the timetable following this will be:

Public Inquiry: June 2003;

Inspector's Report: April 2004;

Modifications: September 2004;

Plan adopted: April 2005.

4. Test Valley Local Plan Review

4.1 Test Valley Borough Council produced a series of six `planning briefs' (the Beyond 2000 series) in May 2000 as part of the pre-deposit consultation on the Borough Local Plan Review. Responses to public comments were considered by the Borough Council's Executive Committee on 6 February 2002 with the intention of proceeding to full Council later in the month. Subject to Members' agreement, a draft revised Local Plan will be published in the summer. In taking the production of the Local Plan forward, the Borough Council has also had regard to revised Regional Planning Guidance for the South East (RPG 9), which reduces the overall requirement for housing in the county up until 2011. The Borough Council also recognises that longer term needs for development, to at least 2016, will should be considered with the impending further review of the Structure Plan.

4.2 In southern Test Valley the preferred option for housing is at Nursling. It is intended to include a criteria-based policy in the revised Plan to assess the merits of proposals for housing in the Borough's villages, with a strong emphasis on meeting the needs of local communities.

Recommendation

That the current status of the Local Plan Reviews be noted.

6984/JC