Local Plan

Letter from BDBC to all Local Parish Councils on the NPPF Consultation

September 2024

 

As you’ll be aware, the government is currently consulting on its proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).  The deadline for comments is this coming Tuesday evening, 24 September.

 

If enacted in its current form, the new NPPF will have a massive impact on our Local Plan - and therefore the future of our borough.

 

As an administration, we don’t believe that the proposed changes are in the best interests of Basingstoke and Deane, and we strongly oppose a number of the suggested amendments.

 

We’ve prepared the attached as the administration’s official response to the government’s consultation.  In particular, we’re arguing for more generous transition arrangements (we believe that all authorities that have gone through Regulation 18 should be allowed to finalise their Plans under the existing rules) and for the retention of the four year (ratherthan five year) housing land supply threshold.  

 

Moving the goalposts now, when we are so close to Regulation 19 consultation with our draft Local Plan, will undo all of the hard work that the borough council has completed over the past few years and risks leaving us open to unwanted speculative development in our area.

 

Whether you agree with our response or not, I’d encourage you to take part in the consultation yourself and make sure that all of our voices (and those of the communities that we represent) are heard by the government.  You can find out how to do that here.

 

We’re also preparing a separate, more technical response to the consultation; this is currently being finalised and will be published on the borough council’s website when it’s ready.

 

As a borough council, we’ve got a Local Plan that’s almost ready to go to final examination, following extensive consultation with local communities – we simply want the opportunity to finish the job.