Inspector approves Hart Local Plan
The planning inspector has approved the Hart Local Plan.
The announcement has been made by Hart District Council and can be found here.
The Inspector has found the Local Plan to be sound and legally compliant, subject to some recommended changes. It will go before the Council for formal adoption in March.
The full Inspector report can be found here. We will update this story as we digest what the Inspector has said.
The appendix containing the main modifications can be found here.
[Update 1]
- Policy SS3 has been removed, so further confirmation of no new settlement in Shapley Heath/ Winchfield for the time being.
- Reiteration in para 181 that future reviews of the Local Plan must look at all options including regeneration:
Nonetheless, the Council will need to ensure that all options for meeting future housing needs are considered fully in future reviews of the Plan, including the potential for regeneration.
- Emphasis added to MM121 to make clear that all reasonable growth options should be considered and evidenced. This refers to the flawed SA that was submitted to the Examination to try and justify the new settlement:
All reasonable growth options, including the potential for a new settlement, would need to be fully considered and evidenced in a future review of the Plan or a subsequent DPD.
- Changes to main modifications 70 and 71 to make clear that mixed residential and commercial use properties within town centres will be permitted. This will also help facilitate regeneration. CCH should take note.
- In light of recent events, it is also good to see that the vision has been updated to include a reference to flood risk:
New development will have been built to high environmental and design standards. It will have been designed and located so that it is safe from flooding and has not increased the risk of flooding elsewhere and includes measures to meet the challenges of climate change.
[/Update]