Issue details

To seek endorsement and a recommendation to Council to resolve to adopt the Fareham Local Plan 2037, with the Main Modifications recommended by the Inspector and Additional Modifications.

The Fareham Borough Local Plan 2037 (‘the plan’) seeks to meet housing and employment needs for the borough on a range of sites whilst adopting a sound development strategy which protects important landscapes and settlement gaps.  Policies within the plan aim to enhance biodiversity through development, ensure high quality design and provide housing choices through promoting the opportunity for residents to build their own homes.   The plan, once adopted, would replace two parts of the extant development plan for the borough, namely Local Plan Part 1 Core Strategy and Local Plan Part 2 Development Sites and Policies.  Local Plan Part 3 the Welborne Plan would not be replaced and would still form part of the development plan for the borough.

The Local Plan was submitted to the Secretary of State in September 2021 with a Planning Inspector appointed shortly after to conduct the examination.  There are three possible findings that an Inspector can make as a result of an examination; an unsound plan, a sound plan, or recommendations to make main modifications such that the plan could be found sound.  Main modifications are changes that materially affect one or more of the plan’s policies.

During the examination, the Inspector requested a number of main modifications to the plan where she felt they were needed to make the plan sound. These main modifications were the subject to public consultation from 31st October until 12th December 2022 as part of the Examination process.  The responses to the consultation have been shared with the Inspector as part of the examination process.

The Council received the Planning Inspector's report on 23^rd March 2023 on the Local Plan which concludes the examination process (see Appendix 1). In the report, the Inspector has concluded that the Fareham Local Plan 2037 provides an appropriate basis for planning of the Borough, subject to the inclusion of the main modifications identified and consulted upon, the plan in her view is sound and capable of adoption. 

Now that the examination into the plan has concluded, the Council is able to consider adopting the Fareham Local Plan 2037 in accordance with the Inspector's recommendations.