Archived decisions

SOUTH EAST PLAN - REPORT OF THE EXAMINATION-IN-PUBLIC PANEL

A public inquiry into the draft South East Plan conducted by a panel of inspectors - called an Examination-in-Public - was held last winter. A report of the Panel's recommendations to Government has been published and on 29 October 2007 the Cabinet considered the key findings and the implications for Hampshire.

The inspectors recommended only minor changes to many of the policies in the draft South East Plan including those that Hampshire had promoted. However, their more significant unwelcome proposals included higher rates of house building across the region, mainly in Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey. For Hampshire the increase is 5% taking the annual total to just over 6,400 houses; the extra 300 houses per year to be based at Andover, Basingstoke, Whitehill/Bordon and Winchester but no further increase for South Hampshire. The Panel did recognise the need for infrastructure improvements and called for increased Government spending. Disappointingly however, the Panel recommended deletion of the Plan's proposal that new development should be conditional on infrastructure improvement. In addition the Panel did not support the County Council's recommendation for part of the housing allocation for South Hampshire to be reserved given the very aspirational economic growth target.

The Cabinet welcomed the successes that the County Council had achieved in regard to the Panel's findings. However, they did express their very strong disappointment at the Panel's recommendations for increased housing and the deletion of the draft Plan's proposal that new development should be conditional on infrastructure improvement. Cabinet were of the view that jobs and infrastructure should go hand-in-hand with development, not follow it. They emphasised their commitment to a plan, manage and monitor approach to development, the importance of creating sustainable communities, and were supportive of affordable housing but urged the Government to provide adequate direct funding. They also welcomed the Panel's rejection of the notion that housing could be made more affordable by increasing the rate of house building. Of concern also was the Panel's recommendation for a major new development area on the western edge of Reading and how traffic would impact within Hampshire's borders. In addition, the Office of National Statistics had recently published increased population projections which were not available at the time the Examination-in-Public was held. The Cabinet therefore expressed concern that these new figures may prompt Government to demand even higher levels of housebuilding in the South-East without due regard to sustainability or the infrastructure required.

The Cabinet took the decision to make a submission to the Government (see Appendix 1), with a copy to Hampshire MPs, in the run up to the Government's finalisation of proposed changes to the South East Plan, which will in turn be published for consultation in 2008. By taking the decision to influence the evolution of the South East Plan, the County Council can make it more likely that new homes and jobs are provided in the right place and that development is at a more reasonable rate, supported by the necessary investment in infrastructure.