Decision details

To receive an update on the Local Plan examination, to note the contents of the Inspector’s Post Hearing letter and the ‘focused consultation’ on three technical evidence documents supporting the Fareham Local Plan 2037.

The Fareham Local Plan 2037 (the ‘Local Plan’) is at examination stage and the hearings concluded in early April.  In early June, the Council received a ‘Post Hearings’ letter from the Planning Inspector outlining her areas of outstanding concern and stating her findings on changes required to enable the Plan to proceed.

The Inspector’s Post Hearing letter provides her findings on a number of areas where the Inspector has some concern. In some places, she has provided a clear steer on changes which she feels are necessary to achieve a sound plan.  Some of these relate to sites, others to policy areas and one provides a choice to the Council. 

The Inspector’s Post Hearing letter contains her findings on three elements of the Local Plan housing supply which have implications for parts of the technical evidence base.  These three elements are the removal of two allocations, pushing the housing delivery at Welborne Garden Village back a year and reducing the overall contribution from Welborne across the plan period. 

The Inspector has asked that the implications of these changes are included in a revised Housing Supply Topic Paper and that, alongside a revised Affordable Housing topic paper and the Windfall Analysis Update paper (May 2022), the Council undertake a focused consultation on technical housing matters with those representors who either commented on the policy area or attended the hearing session on this matter.  The Inspector has requested that the Council comment on the consultation responses, instead of responding directly itself. Following the suggested three-week consultation and the receipt of the responses and Council comments, the Inspector will advise further on these matters.

The Inspector has requested a formal response from the Council on the Post Hearings letter and it is proposed to respond in early August after the focused consultation has concluded.

This report asks that Executive note the content of the Post Hearing letter and that the focused consultation on technical housing matters will begin shortly. This report also seeks delegated authority to respond in full to the Inspector’s Post Hearing letter. 

The report also sets out the likely next steps of Local Plan progression through to the end of the examination process and adoption.

RESOLVED that the Executive:

(a)  notes the content of the Inspector’s Post Hearing letter;

(b)  notes the start of the focused consultation on the following three technical evidence papers:

                              i.        The Housing Supply Topic Paper;

                            ii.        The Affordable Housing Topic Paper; and

                           iii.        The Windfall Analysis Update; and

(c)  authorises the Director of Planning and Regeneration, following consultation with the Executive Member for Planning and Development, to formally respond to the Post Hearings letter.