Introduction
0.1 This document is the Local Plan for the Borough of Basingstoke and Deane. It clearly sets out a vision for the future development of the Borough, the expected levels of development that will take place over the period to 2011, and a series of detailed policies to promote and control the impacts of new development.
0.2 The Local Plan is the key document for all who have an interest in the development and use of land within the Borough. Whether you are an existing or future resident, worker, employer, service provider or developer, the Plan identifies those areas that are expected to experience change over the coming decade and beyond.
0.3 The Plan has been prepared by the Borough Council, working in partnership with other service providers, including health, education, transport and social services. The Plan brings together the development needs and aspirations of the different service sectors in a co-ordinated manner. In this way, new development proposals can be identified to meet existing and future needs, for new housing, employment, health, education and community facilities.
Diagram to Illustrate the Key Plans and Strategies Influencing the Local Plan
| National | PPGs, PPSs, Circulars ect |
| Regional | Regional Economic Strategy (SEEDA) Regional Transport Strategy (SEERA) Regional Planning Guidance/Regional Spatial Strategy (SEERA) |
| County | Hampshire County Structure Plan (Review) - (Hants County Council, Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils) Minerals and Waste Local Plans - (Hants County Council, Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils) Local Transport Plan and Basingstoke Environmental Strategy for Transport - (Hants County Council and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council) |
| Borough | Basingstoke and Deane Borough Local Plan (Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council) Borough Rural Strategy - (Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council) Community Strategy - (Local Strategic Partnership) |
0.4 Although national guidance set out in Planning Policy Guidance notes (PPGs) Planning Policy Statements (PPSs) or Regional Planning Guidance is not duplicated in the policies of the Plan, the guidance sets the framework within which this Plan was developed. The key elements of this national guidance are set out in the background to each section. New policy guidance will be taken on board in future reviews of the Council's planning documents.
0.5 It is important that the Local Plan should be read as a whole, as the policies are designed to work in conjunction with each other, and with national, regional and strategic policies.
0.6 The Plan is intended to be more readable, understandable and flexible than previous plans. This means that it can take account of local circumstances and be more responsive to change. Greater use will be made of Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD) to set out detailed guidance. Action Plans will be prepared in partnership for areas of change and a list of these, and of existing Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG), is set out in Appendix 1. Changes within and affecting the Borough which might lead to a need for amendments to policy will be carefully monitored. The Plan will be kept under continuous review through the Local Development Framework process with a full and regular revision of the main policies and proposals in response to development progress and emerging issues or guidance.
0.7 The Borough will undergo enormous changes through the lifetime of the Local Plan. Our challenge is to anticipate this, ensuring we have the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances, and to harness change for the good of the Borough. As an indication of the level of change that can occur, the following list summarises the key changes affecting the quality of life of local residents over the lifetime of the last local plan (1991-2001):
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The population grew from 147,000 to 155,000, with the number of dwellings increasing to 62,500. 5,200 houses were built and the Council's housing stock was transferred to 2 housing associations.
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Over 7,000 new jobs were created and unemployment fell from 4% in 1991 to 1% in 2001, although the rural economy continued to experience a decline.
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The Anvil Concert Hall, Tadley Swimming Pool, the Fieldgate Centre in Kingsclere and Milestones Transport Museum opened.
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Construction of Festival Place began and Station Link was developed. Adopted Local Plan - July 2006 The Local Plan should be read as a whole. Proposals will be judged against all relevant policies 3 Introduction
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West Ham Leisure Park and Chineham District Centre were extended.
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Basingstoke crematorium opened.
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Retail parks were opened at Brighton Hill and Hatch Warren. Safeway, Town Centre West, opened.
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Ringway north was dualled, the A34 Newbury bypass opened and Town Centre West junction was configured. Traffic levels continued to grow.
Vision and Overall Objectives for the Local Plan
0.8 We want to ensure that the Borough continues to grow and develop to provide facilities for residents, employees and the wider community, whilst continuing to protect and enhance its important natural assets and rich built and natural heritage.
0.9 Through a Local Strategic Partnership, the Borough Council works with key local organisations and service providers to prepare and review a Community Strategy. The Strategy, "Pride in Our Place" was published in July 2003 and its main priorities are; a safer community; a healthy community; a learning and creative Borough; an economically prosperous Borough; an environment that's good to live in; and a Borough with strong communities. Work on the Community Strategy has been concurrent with the preparation of this Local Plan. The two complement and support each other in targeting and delivering real improvements to the quality of life within the Borough. The Community Strategy will set the overall principles, with the Local Plan then delivering the necessary land use and infrastructure changes and improvements.
0.10 Research carried out to develop the Community Strategy and Local Plan provides much of the justification for the policies set out in this document. In this way, the Local Plan can be based on local views, developing land use policies that reflect local opinions about the Borough and respond to important local issues. The Council can achieve much through the implementation of these policies, particularly by working with partner organisations to secure improvements to service delivery, facilities and new infrastructure provision.
0.11 The Local Plan has been developed with a set of objectives, which will help to deliver the aims and aspirations of the Community Strategy. Each policy in the Plan is linked to the achievement of these objectives which have been developed from other Council strategies and takes account of the feedback from consultation. They are underpinned by the Council's duty to Adopted Local Plan - July 2006 The Local Plan should be read as a whole. Proposals will be judged against all relevant policies 4 Introduction improve economic, social and environmental well-being within the Borough. The key objective is
Objective 1 To improve the economic, social and environmental well being of residents, workers and visitors to the Borough and to optimise quality of life. |
0.12 This overall objective will be achieved through the detailed policies and proposals in the Plan which collectively aim to deliver our vision for the future of the Borough. This vision can only be reached through facilitating appropriate levels of new sustainable development, protecting and enhancing the environment and working with partners to improve service delivery, building safe and thriving urban and rural communities that people wish to live and work in and enhancing local accessibility to facilities and services. Not all of this can be achieved through the Local Plan, but the Plan will specifically deliver the following key policy objectives:
Objective 2 The Council will work with partners and the community to ensure that necessary local services, facilities and infrastructure are retained to support local communities and are planned and provided in tandem with new housing and other development. |
0.13 If quality of life within the Borough is to be optimised, it is important that development decisions take account of the longer term needs and aspirations of the Borough's communities. We will work with partners and the community through the Local Strategic Partnership to plan for the longer term, to provide certainty as to where development will take place and to ensure that the necessary infrastructure, services and facilities are co-ordinated and delivered alongside necessary new development. The timing of infrastructure provision is often critical, for example to ensure that new education, health and transport facilities are available for new residents. Close partnership working can co-ordinate infrastructure provision over which the Council may otherwise have no direct control. Adopted Local Plan - July 2006 The Local Plan should be read as a whole. Proposals will be judged against all relevant policies 5 Introduction
Objective 3 The Plan will provide opportunities for decent homes, by identifying sustainable locations for up to an additional 8,203 new dwellings between 2005 and 2011. The Plan will also ensure that new residential development provides a mix of house types and sizes, particularly affordable and key worker housing. |
0.14 Through making best use of available sites and maximising the use of brownfield (or previously developed) land we can minimise the amount of new greenfield sites that must be developed. In this way, although the headline figure is for 8,203 additional dwellings by 2011, we have already granted permission for 5,000 of these dwellings and a further 2,000 are expected on other brownfield sites. New developments should make best use of the land and achieve high quality places to live based on densities appropriate to their surroundings. This objective will be achieved through the implementation of the specific development sites identified in this Plan, alongside the promotion of appropriate development and redevelopment of brownfield sites. We will monitor the rate at which new housing is developed and manage the release of new greenfield sites to ensure that no more greenfield land is developed than is absolutely necessary. In addition, Policies C2 to C5 set out the Council's approach to ensuring that appropriate types and sizes of dwellings are built that meet the needs of local residents.
Objective 4 The Plan promotes a strong and dynamic local economy to provide a range of jobs for local people mainly by identifying and protecting key employment locations and encouraging the regeneration of appropriate employment sites for employment use and the diversification of the rural economy. |
0.15 Alongside the provision of decent homes for Borough residents, the strength of the local economy is a key factor affecting quality of life. Although the Borough's economy is traditionally strong, there are always new employment opportunities to be taken and the Local Plan needs to be flexible to adapt to changing circumstances. The policies in this Plan encourage the regeneration of appropriate employment areas in Basingstoke Town and the other main settlements in the Borough for employment use. The importance of the rural economy is also recognised and appropriate diversification schemes will be supported. Adopted Local Plan - July 2006 The Local Plan should be read as a whole. Proposals will be judged against all relevant policies 6 Introduction
Objective 5 The Plan will protect and enhance the Borough's natural and built environment for the enjoyment of all, promoting opportunities to secure the regeneration and renewal of the built and natural environments. |
0.16 The quality of the Borough's built and natural environment is one of its key assets. It is important that environmental quality is maintained and enhanced, and that opportunities are taken to secure improvements both through regeneration and new development schemes. The policies in this Plan seek to achieve social, economic and environmental benefits by identifying sustainable locations for new development and protecting the environment. The focus on regenerating so-called brownfield sites will deliver significant benefits from high quality new developments and the minimisation of the loss of greenfield sites and the agricultural land resource to new development. The Plan will also promote large and small scale opportunities to regenerate existing areas both within Basingstoke Town, including pockets of deprivation in suburban and fringe areas, and in the Borough's villages, particularly the larger settlements which act as important service centres for surrounding areas. Opportunities will also be taken to promote efficient use of energy and other resources.
Objective 6 Walking, cycling, the use of public transport and appropriate levels of car use will be promoted by ensuring that development is located in accessible locations, consistent with priorities in the Local Transport Plan. Furthermore, in both urban and rural areas, alternative modes of transport to the car will be promoted through the development of safe, accessible and attractive transport networks, including securing directly related improvements from new development schemes. |
0.17 Access to services and facilities is fundamental to an individual or community's quality of life and there are real differences between the urban and rural parts of the Borough, and within Basingstoke Town itself. The Plan seeks to ensure, consistent with the priorities of the Local Transport Plan, that new development is located in accessible locations and that it delivers specific and directly related improvements to the local transport network to encourage walking, cycling and the use of public transport. In addition, the Plan recognises that new transport related developments, including public transport infrastructure will be required and the Plan encourages its provision. Adopted Local Plan - July 2006 The Local Plan should be read as a whole. Proposals will be judged against all relevant policies 7 Introduction
Objective 7 The Council will strive to ensure that it maximises community involvement and engagement in the planning system. |
0.18 The following section sets out the Council's intentions in support of this objective in the form of a statement of community consultation and engagement. The Council intends to continue its extensive work undertaken to date and seek new and effective ways of engaging with the Borough's communities both in the preparation of the Local Plan and in subsequent development decisions. The Council will also encourage communities to produce Parish Plans and Village Design Statements (VDSs) in partnership with the Council and Countryside Agency.
Statement of Community Consultation and Engagement
Consultation to Date
0.19 The Borough Council has carried out a wide ranging consultation on the Local Plan Review to try and maximise understanding of, and engagement in, the planning process. Parish Councils, neighbourhood and residents groups and the Local Strategic Partnership have had the opportunity for involvement from an early stage in the development of the Plan.
0.20 At each stage of the Local Plan Review, including the consultation undertaken prior to the First Deposit Draft Local Plan being published, the Borough Council has used a variety of methods of securing public involvement. This has involved the following:
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maintaining and updating a database of all interested parties, who have been kept informed of the process at each stage;
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arranging a travelling exhibition of the Local Plan proposals which visited the main settlements in the Borough;
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the placing of all information on the Borough Council website and in public libraries;
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advertising each consultation on the Borough Council website and in public libraries;
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advertising each consultation, including the exhibition dates and venues, in the local press and the London Gazette, together with the required Adopted Local Plan - July 2006 The Local Plan should be read as a whole. Proposals will be judged against all relevant policies 8 Introduction public notices;
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the inclusion of a leaflet and article on the Local Plan in the Borough Council's magazine, which is delivered to every home in the Borough;
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widespread distribution of posters to key public locations; and
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attendance at a number of public meetings.
0.21 The result of the consultation has been the receipt of a large number of representations in respect of the Local Plan Review. Full details of the process undertaken, and the number of representations received are set out in Appendix 5 of the Local Plan.
Action Plans
0.22 Action Plans are detailed policies and proposals for particular parts of the Borough. Examples include the North Basingstoke Action Plan and the Central Area Action Plan. Action Plans will be developed through partnership working. Partners will include the Local Strategic Partnership, Parish Councils, residents groups, developers and any appropriate local interest groups.
0.23 Involvement from different sectors of the community will be actively sought as part of the Action Plan process. Schools and colleges will be encouraged to become involved in the development of the Action Plan at an early stage. 'Planning for Real' events will be held to develop the Plans, and these events will be widely advertised, using a range of media. Interactive means of participating such as the use of exhibition software will be explored. Mini exhibitions demonstrating the progress of the Plans will be held at appropriate locations.
Major Developments
0.24 Consultation on major developments will need to reflect any changes to the development control process, but would be likely to be similar to the consultation processes detailed above. Where major windfall development opportunities come forward, the developer will be expected, as part of the pre-application process, to undertake adequate consultation. This should ensure sound public understanding of what is proposed and proper opportunities for objections to be resolved or reduced and new ideas to be incorporated.