Council announces delay in core strategy consultation

HART Council has deferred its consultation on Hart’s ‘core strategy’ on planning  which had been scheduled  to start late next month.

This follows a letter to all of the country’s council leaders from the new Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles scrapping the controversial top down housing targets and highlighting the new government’s commitment to returning housing and planning decision making powers to local authorities.

The government wants to rapidly abolish regional spatial strategies which include targets on the amount of housing within individual local authority areas.Local councils will now set their own housing targets.

This is the first formal statement from the Secretary of State regarding the abolition of regional spatial strategies and heralds a new era in which local authorities will have the freedom to plan effectively for the needs of their districts and be able to take account of the wishes of local communities on matters such as the numbers and location of new housing.

In the light of the letter the council has decided not to proceed with the ‘core strategy’ consultation, which would have set out some possible new major housing sites. This will allow time to consider the full impact of Mr Pickles’ statement and will avoid any decisions being taken that are later proved to be unsound or unnecessary.

Cllr Richard Appleton, Cabinet member for Planning,commented:

“I am delighted that the new government has scrapped the top down housing targets and is fulfilling its promise to review the planning system so quickly. Whilst this means deferring consultation on our core strategy it will allow us to establish an appropriate strategy for Hart in dialogue with local communities.”

Major developments in hand at Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Church Crookham, Hitches Lane, Fleet and Dilly Lane, Hartley Wintney will be unaffected by the changes.

Cllr Appleton concluded: “I shall wait with interest the Secretary of State’s further announcement that he promises in the letter. At that time I hope we will have sufficient clarity so that I can issue another statement setting out how the council plans to move forward with its planning framework for the next 20 years.”