Where next on the Local Plan for Winchester Town area? - TrustNews Jun 14
Trust members will know that the Trust Policy Group made representations to the City Council following the various consultation meetings and exhibitions in the six Town Wards in February and March on the next stage of the Local Plan. This plan will provide detailed guidance for planning in the City over the next 20 years. The City Council's officers are now analysing around 150 responses they received. These will inform the issues which will need to be addressed in the draft Local Plan Part 2 which should published for consultation later in the summer or early autumn.
To remind colleagues, this work on preparing the Local Plan Part 2 is intended to:
- Identify the sites to meet Winchester Town’s housing, employment, retail, open space, and any other infrastructure requirements.
- Review retail frontages in the town centre.
- Identify any development management policies for Winchester Town.
On housing numbers the Council's view is that:
- of the 4000 new houses required by Part 1 of the Plan in Winchester Town over 3810 are already permitted or committed.
- windfall sites will meet the remaining requirement
- 40% of new housing is to be "affordable".
- no new “green field" allocations are likely to be required.
In the meantime the Council has approved a consultant's brief for a follow-up study on the Railway Station Approach area. This follow-up work relates to various matters that were of concern to the Trust regarding the initial Development Assessment, such as the public realm and pedestrian movement, key views, the nature and scale of any new parking, and the retention of significant existing buildings, such as the Register Office. This follow-up study should be completed in August and we hope to have the opportunity soon to meet the consultants to discuss our remaining concerns.