Hart Local Plan 2025 Update
(updated December 2024)
A review to determine whether the Local Plan needs updating must be concluded by 30th April 2025, five years after adoption. A report on the local plan review is currently scheduled to go to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 10th December 2024 and to Cabinet on 2nd January 2025. There is as yet no timetable for the next local plan.
Inspector approves Local Plan
20 February 2020
Hart District Council has received the Report from Planning Inspector Jonathan Manning concluding that the Hart Local Plan Strategy and Sites 2014 - 2032 is sound and capable of adoption incorporating his recommended Main Modifications.
Here you can read The Inspector's Report and the Schedule of Main Modifications
All the documents referred to in the report are available at the Hart Examination Document Library
The next steps will be for Hart's Cabinet to formally agree to adopt the Local Plan at its meeting on 5 March. Thereafter it will presented to full Council on 26 March for approval.
The plan covers the period 2016 to 2032 but must be reviewed every 5 years, with a rolling forward planning period.
Hart Local Plan (June 2019)
The Inspector has submitted his post hearings letter to the Council (EXAM 60). The Council has now responded (EXAM 60A). Modifications will now be drafted and further information will be available in due course. Consultation on Proposed Modifications is expected to take place in summer 2019.
Hart Local Plan (1st March 2019)
Statement regarding Hart District Council’s Local Plan Examination from Hart District Council:
On 26 February, Hart District Council received a letter from the Inspector, Jonathan Manning, with some feedback relating to the examination of the Hart Local Plan – Strategy and Sites document.
Speaking about the letter, Cllr Graham Cockarill, Cabinet Member for Planning Services at Hart District Council, Said: “The letter gives us a clear indication that, subject to the Council agreeing a couple of important modifications, we are close to having in place a sound Local Plan."
This is great news for both the Council and its residents because at long last it will give us a sound basis to make future planning decisions and it removes the threat of planning by appeal.
The Inspector has accepted our assessment of what is our objectively assessed housing need at around 388 dwellings per annum and recognised our positive approach to meeting that need. It is for this reason that the Inspector recommends that we agree to meet Surrey Heath’s unmet need because it can be done within our projected targets without changing our plan or having to find further sites.
The Inspector’s other key recommendation is that we do not, at this time, pursue Policy SS3 [New Settlement at the Murrell Green/Winchfield Area of Search]. In his view the new settlement approach is not sufficiently developed to be included within the Plan particularly as the numbers of new homes it may deliver are not necessary to meet our housing numbers within this Plan. The important point is that the inspector does not rule out a new settlement option for the future and accepts that it would be good for the Local Plan to retain the Council’s aspirations to plan for long-term needs beyond the Plan period, which could include the delivery of a new settlement.
You can read the inspector's letter by following this link to Hart District Council's website