Decision details

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.              Approved the Regulation 18 Spatial Options and Policy Direction document for public consultation;

2.              Delegated authority to the Strategic Director for Place, Operations and Sustainability, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder, to make any final editorial or formatting changes prior to publication; and

3.              Noted that there will be an emerging evidence base published alongside the consultation, as referenced in the Regulation 18 document.

KEY DECISION:

Yes

PORTFOLIO:

Planning and Economy

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED/REJECTED:

As set out in the report.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST:

None

DISCUSSION:

The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economy introduced the report. He explained that the Spatial Options and Policy Direction Document was an important milestone in the overall process of the Local Plan Review. This part of the review builds on the Issues and Scope consultation and the call for sites process of 2025.   Since then, Officers had continued to develop the strategy with input from stakeholders, partners and the member working group. It was explained that the Government’s ongoing planning reforms included revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework and placed a greater emphasis on housing development, economic growth and higher density development. It was important that NFDC developed a plan swiftly, with a focus on local issues and needs, rather than defaulting to the Government’s national policy requirements. Officers had been proactive, engaging with statutory consultees and infrastructure providers whilst also working with partners in MHCLG and the Planning Inspectorate. This engagement was invaluable to the process and enabled Officers to understand the implications facing NFDC amidst national reforms. To enable the plan to be examined under the current regulations it must be submitted to the Secretary of State by December 2026. 

The Portfolio Holder explained that as part of the Regulation 18 Document, 15 Strategic Development Growth Options (SDGOs) had been identified to test the various elements that the Plan requires, such as housing, economic growth, climate change and infrastructure. It was stressed that the SDGOs were not confirmed site designations but instead formed the basis of the consultation, which would enable the Council to test the deliverability of housing and gather public and stakeholder views ahead of the draft Regulation 19 Plan, to be submitted by the end of the year.  

It was reported that even if every identified SDGO was carried forward to a site allocation, there remained a significant gap between the Government’s standardised method of calculation for housing need and the amount of housing that could feasibly be delivered. The Council must now openly engage with its communities on this issue. Cabinet heard that the public consultation would be hosted online and NFDC would be holding numerous in-person events across the district, which would be widely publicised in the local press and on social media. These sessions would enable all stakeholders to participate and provide strong, local focus on the issues and challenges facing the district.  

The Planning Policy Infrastructure and Delivery Service Manager listed the ten in-person sessions that were being hosted across the district.  They also stated this process of consulting on site options was the same process that was carried out at this stage in the last Local Plan review in 2016. It was confirmed that letters had been sent to all Town and Parish Council clerks who would inform their Councillors of this latest update and of the in-person sessions being held.  

The Leader implored all residents and stakeholders to respond to the consultation.  

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Corporate acknowledged the challenges facing NFDC given the various and significant constraints across the district. For example, the designated land used for backup grazing, the New Forest National Park and the Cranborne Chase National Landscape. He explained that there was also the expectation that the Council would provide greenspace to new housing developments too, which was also a significant challenge.  

A non-executive member stressed the importance of a strategic approach to the challenges facing the district. He highlighted that infrastructure was limited in many areas of the New Forest and that this would need to be factored into any considered developments.  

The Chairman of the Local Plan Review Working Group thanked officers and Members for their time and work on producing the incredible amount of data, research and information that enabled the Council to navigate through both the process of the review and the Government’s policy changes.  The comprehensively developed document would not please every person in the New Forest, but it had been developed rigorously and robustly using evidence and local focus. He urged all members of the public to read whole document and to draw their conclusions based on the strategic detail.  

A non-executive member also recognised the scale of work that had gone into this latest document. They reiterated their concerns on limited infrastructure and emphasised the need to protect the character of the New Forest’s various towns and villages. It was suggested that the information around the document could be made easy to understand, given the level of detail involved. 

Some non-executive members were disappointed with the development options proposed in the document and raised concerns over the potential scale of development identified for the Plan Area. Issues with transport and travel were highlighted alongside the disappointment that the current allocation at Fawley Waterside would likely no longer be for housing. 

The Assistant Director of Place Development reassured members that the focus had been on creating a robust and evidenced plan that drew upon the local knowledge and expertise of NFDC members and staff, in consultation with local communities, so that they could present a convincing plan the Planning Inspectorate that told the narrative of the New Forest and explained the issues and challenges facing the Council in balancing the needs of both housing and economic development alongside the planning constraints and unique natural elements of the Forest. The specific proposed allocation of strategic sites for development would come at a later point of the year, in the Regulation 19 Document, following public consultation on the Spatial Options and Policy Direction Document.  

The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economy reassured Cabinet that all members of NFDC would have the opportunity to make comments at Full Council, following the results of the Regulation 18 consultation.