Basingstoke & Dean Borough Council Environment and Infrastructure Committee Meeting

Councillor Ashfield was replaced by Councillor K Watts.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no urgent matters.

The minutes of the meeting held on 29 February 2024 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Infrastructure introduced the report which set out the council’s response to the Government’s recent consultation on Proposed Reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and Other Changes to the Planning System.

The Chair invited visiting speaker Allan Forbes to address the Committee, his comments included:

• Sought clarification that Popham airfield had been removed from the list of proposed sites.

• Questioned the reporting process for the local plan going forward.

The Chair invited visiting Councillors Phillimore and Harvey address the Committee, their comments included:

• Stated that the Borough had been subjected to speculative development which had resulted in expensive properties that did not meet the local need.

• Only 140 affordable houses and 14 socially rented homes had been built in the last year.
• There was an infrastructure gap which was continuing to widen.

• New rules were required to help resolve local needs.

• Localism needed to be a priority.

• Local government was in a battle with central government.

• The new proposals had undone a lot of the positive work carried out to date.

The Committee discussed the report and made the following comments:

• Sought clarity over the definition of new towns and the use of the word ‘Council’ in the submission instead of ‘administration’.

• Some members felt that the response explained that the council would welcome the opportunity of a discussion in relation to any identified local need for new towns whilst others felt that the Council was volunteering for further development.

• Acknowledged that the Council was awaiting further clarity from government.

• Thanked officers for their hard work.

• Acknowledged that if the position did not change then the Council would be required to start the call for sites process again which would result in a two-year delay, £300,000 cost implication and the loss of protection that that the proposed new policies provided.

• Agreed the local plan process should be more collaborative and less political.

• Officers agreed to circulate information on local plans that had been challenged in response to the new NPPF.

Resolved: The Committee notes the report and the consultation responses submitted by the council are noted.

The Chair introduced the work programme and gave a brief overview of the items that would be included on the agenda for the upcoming meetings.

Councillor McIntyre suggested that an invite be extended to Hampshire Together and agreed to submit a work programme request.