June 2018 - Draft Local Plan 2036 - Consultation and Summary

The Draft Havant Borough Local Plan 2036 – Consultation and Summary  

The Draft Havant Borough Local Plan 2036 was subject to public consultation between 8 January and 16 February 2018. During this time, we hosted 10 exhibitions across the Borough so that residents could speak face-to-face with the Council’s Planning Policy Officers. We would like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to everyone who attended the exhibitions, engaged with the consultation and submitted comments to us. 

We have prepared a Consultation Overview and Way Forward Note setting out how the consultation was run, the level of responses we received and how the Local Plan will be taken forward, including the next steps for the Havant Borough Local Plan 2036. 

To outline what suggestions, alterations and further research we will now undertake because of your comments, we have produced a Consultation Summary Report. The report summarises the comments received for each policy/allocation and highlights for each policy/allocation our proposed actions moving forward.  

All the above can also be found on our Local Plan 2036 webpage.  

Next Step – The Pre-Submission Havant Borough Local Plan 2036 

We are now working on updating the plan following the consultation comments. The next edition will be called the Pre-Submission Havant Borough Local Plan 2036. 

A key focus moving forward will be finalising the evidence base which underpins the Local Plan. There are a number of studies which will need updating and reviewing moving forwards. These include the following studies which are already underway: 

• Havant Borough Biodiversity Strategy 
• Havant Borough Transport Assessment (TA)
• Hayling Island Highway and Transport Infrastructure Assessment and 
• Hayling Island Seafront Feasibility Study. 

We anticipate consulting on a Pre-Submission version of the Local Plan in early 2019.  We will notify all those who have signed up for updates on the Local Plan when the next version of the plan is published, and once further information about the forthcoming consultation is available. 

The Bird Aware Solent Strategy 

Over 90,000 coastal birds fly from as far as Arctic Siberia to feed and roost for the winter on the Solent. This includes 10% of the global population of Brent Geese.   

Research has shown that the planned housebuilding across the Solent will lead to a significant effect on the bird populations. To overcome this, while also meeting the need for more housing, the local planning authorities across the Solent have formed the Bird Aware Solent Partnership. 

The Council’s Cabinet approved the Bird Aware Solent Strategy unanimously on 7 February 2018.  The aim of the strategy is to make sure that the increase in recreation due to new housebuilding does not affect the bird populations. The strategy requires developers to pay a financial contribution per new dwelling within 5.6km of the coast (the vast majority of Havant Borough).  The money raised is then used to: 

• Raise awareness and encourage behavioural change of coastal visitors via the growing Bird Aware Solent Ranger Team; 
• Implement projects to better manage visitors and provide secure habitats for the birds, and; 
• Provide and promote new/enhanced greenspaces in less sensitive areas as an alternative to visiting the coast. 

You can follow the amazing work of the Bird Aware Solent Ranger Team via Facebook and Twitter. 

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect in the UK on 24 May 2018. As such, you would have received emails from the council asking you to confirm which council updates you still wish to receive.   

If you are aware of any family members, friends, neighbours and/or colleagues that were expecting to receive this newsletter but have not, then we would be grateful if you could please let them know they can sign up for local plan updates and other updates for council services here. 

Please note, we can no longer add people to our mailing list by phone, so please make sure that you use the web form. 

Moving forward

As always, if you have any queries about the local plan or any of the above, then please do not hesitate to get in contact with us. You can email us at policy.design@havant.gov.uk or call us on 02392 446539.