Contact: Sarah Applegate, ext 6795

1. Summary

1.1 The following decision is sought:

That Eastleigh Borough Council be provided with a statement that the Eastleigh Borough Local Plan is not in general conformity with the Hampshire County Structure Plan 1996-2011 (Review), as it fails to make sufficient provision for reserve housing as required by Policy H4 of the Structure Plan, and fails to safeguard sites for park-and-ride as required by Policy T16 of the Structure Plan.

2. Reason

2.1 Most of the policies in the Second Deposit Local Plan are in conformity with the Hampshire County Structure Plan (Review), including the identification of the baseline housing provision. However, the parts which are not in conformity are the failure to provide for the reserve housing as required by Policy H4 of the Structure Plan and the failure to safeguard sites for park-and-ride as required by Policy T16 of the Structure Plan.

3. Other Options Considered and Rejected

3.1 To advise Eastleigh Borough Council that the whole of the Local Plan is in conformity.

4. Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Decision Maker or a Member or Officer consulted - None.

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - Not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the Matter being dealt with if Urgent - Not applicable.

Approved by: Date:

Councillor K B Estlin

7. Background

7.1 The Eastleigh Borough Local Plan Review Second Deposit is due to be placed on deposit in May 2003 for six weeks to allow for formal objections to be made. The Local Plan contains policies and proposals to guide development in the Borough to 2011 and beyond. When adopted it will replace the current Local Plan adopted in 1997. A statement of conformity has been requested by Eastleigh Borough Council.

7.2 The purpose of this report is to comment upon the strategic conformity issues. The County Council will be able to submit formal objections or representations on specific matters on policies following the deposit in May. A copy of the Local Plan text, as agreed for publication by the Borough Council, is available for inspection in the Environment Department Library.

8. First Deposit Plan Conformity Issues

8.1 A statement of non-conformity was issued on the First Deposit Local Plan on the grounds that the Plan failed to meet the overall housing provision for the Borough set out in Policies H2 and H4 of the Hampshire County Structure Plan (Review) for the period 2001 to 2011. It also failed to demonstrate how the objectives for urban regeneration established in Policies UB1, UB2 and UB4 will be implemented, and also the requirements and formula for funding the provision of infrastructure, services and amenities needed to support the proposed developments in the Local Plan as required by Policy IMP1 of the Structure Plan.

8.2 However, following revisions to the Local Plan Review it is considered that the Second Deposit Plan is now consistent with the provisions of Policies UB1, UB2 and UB4 of the Structure Plan. Additionally, a new policy (Policy 31.BE) has been added to the Second Deposit Plan that is consistent with Policy IMP1 of the Structure Plan.

9. Second Deposit Plan Conformity Issues

9.1 The Local Plan identifies enough sites to meet the next five years of the Structure Plan's baseline requirement, up to 2007. However, Eastleigh Borough Council can only achieve this by bringing forward three greenfield sites immediately. These comprise Dowds Farm, Hedge End, south of South Street, Eastleigh and Whitetree Farm, Fair Oak.

9.2 The Borough Council anticipates that more urban sites, including those identified through an assessment of the Borough's urban capacity, will come forward in the later stages of the Local Plan period.

9.3 The Borough Council has made progress towards meeting the Structure Plan (Review) baseline housing requirement and this is to be welcomed. Based on the figures in the Housing Background Paper, which is supplementary planning guidance to the Local Plan, it seems that there is now every prospect of the Borough Council meeting its baseline housing requirement.

9.4 The housing allocations contained in the Second Deposit Plan are summarised below:

10. Reserve Provision for Housing Development

10.1 Policy H2 of the Structure Plan requires Eastleigh Borough Council to provide 6,295 dwellings between 1996 and 2011. Net completions over the period 1996 to 2001 total 2,085, leaving a baseline requirement of 4,210 dwellings. The Local Plan exceeds the baseline provision by 938 dwellings, the reason being that three new greenfield sites have been allocated, as some of the urban capacity sites are unlikely to come forward until the later stages of the Plan period. The shortfall for the baseline plus reserve housing requirement totals 1,562 dwellings.

10.2 Policy H4 of the Structure Plan requires reserve housing provision to be identified in the Local Plan for the development of a further 1,500 dwellings in Eastleigh District and an additional 1,000 dwellings at South East Eastleigh Major Development Area (MDA).

10.3 The Second Deposit Local Plan does not identify sufficient sites to meet the Structure Plan baseline plus reserve requirement. The shortfall is 1,562 dwellings, compared to the required 2,500 reserve. Consequently, the Plan is not in conformity with the Structure Plan with regard to the reserve housing provision, despite additional greenfield sites having been allocated within the Local Plan.

11. South East of Eastleigh Major Development Area

11.1 The Borough Council is planning to meet the Structure Plan baseline requirement without identifying a site for the South East of Eastleigh MDA by placing a high dependency on unidentified urban capacity sources and an increasing reliance on other greenfield allocations (see paragraphs 9.3 and 9.4 above). As noted in paragraph 10.3, the Plan also fails to identify the required reserve housing provision. These shortcomings would have been avoided had the Borough Council identified a site for the MDA in its Local Plan.

12. Transport and Accessibility

12.1 The Second Deposit Plan does not conform to Policy T16 of the Structure Plan, in that it does not safeguard park-and-ride sites within the Borough of Eastleigh. This issue was raised at the First Deposit stage.

12.2 Policy T16 of the Structure Plan states that:

"Where appropriate, land for the following major transportation schemes will be safeguarded in the Southampton Strategy Area:

for implementation:

- bus-based park-and-ride in the Nursling, Windhover and Stoneham areas".

12.3 Hampshire County Council and Southampton City Council have jointly commissioned a study of strategic park-and-ride opportunities for the Southampton area.

12.4 The study, prepared by Peter Brett Associates, titled `Strategic Park-and-Ride Opportunities for the Southampton area', has identified three preferred sites for park-and-ride opportunities in the Southampton Area Transport Strategy area.

12.5 Those sites within Eastleigh Borough are identified below:

(i) Windhover, west of Hamble Lane/south of Bursledon Road (Sunday market site) on the eastern corridor; and

(ii) Wide Lane, Stoneham, north of M27/west of railway line (playing fields north of M27) on the northern corridor.

12.6 It is therefore considered that the safeguarding of these sites within the Local Plan will enable the opportunities for park-and-ride to be fully developed.

13. Other Chapters

13.1 All other chapters are considered to be in general conformity with the Structure Plan (Review).

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