Decision details

This report seeks approval for the allocation of developer contribution funding of £1,720,000 to support the Recreational Mitigation Programme for a two-year period from 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2027.

The proposed two-year programme will comprise up to 16 ‘off-site’ infrastructure projects, including a range of both delivery projects and “design only” projects.

On 24 March 2025, Cllr Derek Tipp, the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economy made the following decision:

That the Developer Contribution funding of £1,720,000 is allocated to fund the Recreational Mitigation Programme for a two-year period from 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2027; and the project list in Appendix 1 Tables 1 and 2 are approved as the basis of the projects to be developed between 1st April 2025 and 31st March 2027.

Any member of the Council, who is not a Portfolio Holder, who considers that this decision should be reviewed should give notice using the call-in facility at the top of this page on the Council’s intranet / extranet site. Alternatively, notice can be given to the Monitoring Officer (Tanya Coulter) (in writing or by e-mail) to be received ON OR BY 5.15 pm on 31 March 2025.

Details of the document the Portfolio Holder considered are attached below.

Approval of this paper is recommended in order for the Council to comply with its statutory obligations under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations Habitat Regulations and in order to meet the key objectives of the “Mitigation for Recreational Impacts on New Forest European Sites, Supplementary Planning Document Enabling the Delivery of Green Growth, Adopted 5 May 2021”.

The ‘Habitats Regulations’ require that appropriate mitigation measures are put in place to ensure that proposed residential development can take place without harmful impact on the integrity of protected sites within the plan area.

If the proposed recreational mitigation programme is not provided, then there will likely be an objection from Natural England for future housing sites.

See report.