Holiday Consultation for Local Plan
It’s difficult to understand why Havant BC has set its Housing Plan’s 6 week Consultation period - that ends on September 9th - during the primary annual holiday month when so many traditionally holiday away. Equally whatever the reasons for the reduced Borough wide exhibition times, such holiday timing is prejudicial to residents’ having a meaningful consultation. Highly significant also is that many attending Hayling’s Exhibition told the Officers that they only knew about it thanks to HIRA’s routine member emails and our Noticeboard poster; this highlights the Council’s inadequate communication to ordinary residents on a matter of huge impact on the Island.
HIRA’s briefing by Planning Officers underlined that all Authorities are being driven by central Government’s PUSH, Programme for Urban South Hampshire and IOW, which follows the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) determination of housing need. Importantly, if Local Authorities do not comply, national Government will over-ride them. Local Plan for 2036 gives Havant Borough’s housing need figure, on the basis of past trends, as 11,250 or 450 new homes a year; new housing ‘in the pipeline’ is 6,447, leaving a shortfall of 4,803. Apparently 49% of the borough population will be 60+ by 2036. Our Planning Officers assure us that they will take seriously every response but it is vital to make specific points as rejecting all development will be ineffective.
HIRA sent our members summaries of objections based on previous Inspectors’ Reports amongst others. Here are some key issues your responses may wish to include:
In 1985 Havant BC’s Director of Technical Services wrote of the A3023 that “this narrow, overlong cul-de-sac is carrying about two and a half times its theoretical capacity and the present daily flow justifies improvement”. It continues “In the last ten years traffic has increased on the A3023 by 50%”. “DoT forecast (a traffic increase) over the period 1976 – 2020 of 78.6% against the 46.1% previously given”. No improvements affecting flow on/off the Island were made.
The latest count for Langstone Bridge (July 2016) shows that the annual average daily traffic flow is 25,000 vehicles. This for a road that Highway’s Agency figures show should be no more than 13,000 and was already stated to be overloaded in 1985.
Hayling still has no satisfactory Emergency Access provision eg in the event of Bridge damage.
Hayling’s recreational value to the region continues to be ignored: there is no provision for cyclists on the A3023 and it is unacceptable that coaches are re-routed via West Lane during blockages.
Utilities and Pumping Stations were built for a fraction of the current population.
How long is your own current Medical Surgery standard waiting time – where are the plans for another Surgery?
Exactly what difference does the increased age population make to the developments planned? So-called retirement flats proposed have failed to allocate sufficient space for cars, mobility scooters, nursing visits, increased services. This shows that such needs are not factored in to developments yet they drive the Plan.
Exactly what proportion of current developments off Station Road and proposed developments provide single and family affordable housing?
Where will any young children play given the tiny gardens created off the current new developments? Station Road itself and Rook Farm access both involve frequent, heavily used main access roads.
Will HBC follow the Objectively-Assessed Housing Need Update (Apr 2016) by G L Hearn (OAN see link below) without regard to para. 1.8? This para.states: “The assessment of housing need is a policy of calculation. It does not take into account environmental or policy constraints or infrastructure or land capacities. The OAN figures are therefore not development plan targets.......Councils will need to consider Strategic Housing Market Assessment evidence carefully and take adequate time to consider whether there are ‘environment and policy constraints, such as greenbelt, which will impact on their overall final housing requirement”. The full OAN can be found on http://www.push.gov.uk/2c_objectively_assessed_housing_need_update.pdf
Proposed development sites are greenfield: can’t brownfield first be found?
1996 – 2011 alone, Hayling had 900 (over 30%) of the new housing completions in the Borough: about twice its share based on the then Borough population.
Write your responses to either policy.design@havant.gov.uk or Planning Policy Team, Havant Borough Council, Public Service Plaza, Civic Centre Rd., Havant Hampshire PO9 2AX.
Make a diary date: HIRA Public Meeting and AGM with Alan Mak MP Guest Speaker Friday October 14th 7:30 pm. Visit our new website: www.haylingresidentsassociation.co.uk.
