Local Plan Review - TrustNews Sep 18
Winchester City Council has recently announced the start of a review of the Local Plan which contains the policies that guide and manage development in the District. Everyone has the opportunity to make representations on what should be included or changed in the existing Local Plan and the City Council has published an on-line questionnaire which should be completed by the 21st September. The Trust will be answering the questions, limiting its considerations mainly to what concerns the city. The Trust welcomes comments and suggestions from any of our members to help us in agreeing the representations we make to the City Council.
The government published in July a new National Planning Policy Framework so the Local Plan has to take its provisions into account, particularly where it makes significant changes to the previous Framework. Many of the requirements reflect the government’s determination to increase substantially the rate of house building in England with the numbers allocated to local councils determined by the government. Last year the draft proposals for our District under the new mechanism indicated a modest increase of 28 dwellings each year up to 2031. The government is expected to confirm our District's housing numbers in September which may see an increase from 28 per annum, with the period covered by the new local plan extended by 5 years up to 2036.
Subjects that the Trust is likely to make representations about include the subsequent use of the land at Flowerdown when the army leaves Sir John Moore Barracks and the existing leisure centre at Hyde when the new one at Bar End is built. Other subjects could include the need for high quality design of new buildings and the density and height of buildings, topics where the new national policy framework introduces some significant changes.