Campaign for Protection of Rural England
CPRE has responded both to the Government's 25 year Environment Plan and also Havant Borough Council's Draft Local Plan to 2036. Below is a summary of CPRE’s response to the Draft Local Plan. The detailed version is available on request from HIRA 'Contact Us' on this site.
Please do share and promote our petition – we are at around 9,000 signatures to date and really want to get over 10,000 in the next week or so!
Summary:
CPRE Hampshire has responded to the Draft Havant Local Plan by asking the Borough Council to review its housing numbers calculations based on more up-to-date figures than were used in the sub-regional PUSH study of 2016. A lower housing target based on Havant’s own demographic requirements would need fewer green field sites to be allocated. CPRE supports entirely the proposed regeneration of the older urban centres such as Havant and Waterlooville and believes that the Council could be even more ambitions in its aspirations to develop brown field sites ahead of those in the countryside. Havant has some highly valued landscape with important areas of wildlife habitat, and what little remains must be better protected.
CPRE Hampshire are calling for a Strategic Vision for Hampshire and:
A collaborative approach between authorities that works for Hampshire as a whole
An end to urban sprawl by prioritising brownfield sites
Link improved infrastructure with housing and jobs to support the needs of local people
Introduce a new Green Belt to prevent Southampton, Portsmouth and Winchester merging
Invest in the best design and planning for new and growing communities
Have direct government investment in affordable and social housing
Strengthen neighbourhood planning so that local communities can have a real say about the level and location of development.
Press Release:
CPRE Hampshire calling for a more strategic approach to planning for a brighter future for Hampshire
The Hampshire branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is inviting Hampshire Local Authorities and residents to join them in their quest to plan for a greener Hampshire.
CPRE Hampshire is currently working on its ‘Strategic Vision’, which aims to galvanise a more balanced, holistic approach to growth and the needs of all who live and work in Hampshire to ensure the protection of the environment as well as the future prosperity of the county.
One example of more strategic planning, which CPRE Hampshire cites, would be designation of a Green Belt around the urban areas of South Hampshire to create liveable communities by limiting further encroachment, the coalescence of settlements, and prompt a greater contribution to new housing from regeneration of the urban area.
It believes that working together and considering the viewpoint of everyone in the community is key to these ideas being adopted into practise and is inviting Hampshire residents to join them in providing feedback, as they champion its cause.
Residents have indeed leapt to support CPRE Hampshire and a petition calling to protect South Hampshire’s countryside has already received over 9,000 signatures in just 10 days! https://www.change.org/p/protect-south-hampshire-s-countryside
Dee Haas, Chairman, CPRE Hampshire, comments: “Today Hampshire is facing many challenges and there are huge pressures to grow our economy and build more houses. We must plan effectively, fully valuing our countryside and environment. We live in one of the world’s most advanced and prosperous countries and we must plan growth with responsibility to our communities, both urban and rural and our delicate environment. More unplanned and uncoordinated sprawl is not an acceptable way ahead."
With Local Authorities planning for their areas through their Local Development Plans, CPRE Hampshire believes it is imperative these plans set out which areas of countryside need protecting as Green Belt. These Green Belt areas will then contain policies that protect them by law.
Designation of a Green Belt around the urban area would limit further encroachment, the coalescence of settlements, and prompt a greater contribution to new housing from regeneration of the urban area.
“We know Local Authorities are under an enormous amount of pressure,” continues Haas. “With the government’s call for more house building, this has put Local Authorities under the spotlight to provide plans for these homes. However, in some areas in Hampshire, where they are bordered by two or three authorities, councils aren’t working together which is leading to a rise in knock-on effects. Green spaces are being swallowed up, there are significant traffic issues, infrastructure concerns, little affordable housing and an unprecedented uprising of local residents.
“We’ve long held the belief that current plans and policies for the county put economic benefit before Hampshire’s people and our natural environment. We need to get the message to government that a balance must be reached between growing our economy and preserving our natural environment for future generations.”
