Fareham local plan aims to 'take back control' of housing from government

Fareham Borough councillors met on April 5 to discuss the adoption of the local plan following its year-long examination with the planning inspectorate, a central government body.

A local plan sets out how housing, business construction and infrastructure can best benefit the area a council is responsible for. If a council does not have an adopted local plan it leaves the council vulnerable to speculative development.

SEE ALSO: Anger as parking charges are introduced at Wicor Recreation Ground in Portchester despite opposition

Councillor Connie Hockley said getting the plan to its current stage has been ‘a long uphill battle’.

She added: ‘I am just so relieved, I’m on the planning committee which I do not like, it drives me completely nuts because you can’t make decisions that your heart tells you to make, you have to do it according to planning regulations.

‘This is a step forward, I would just like the government to get some sense in their head about planning rules and regulations should be made by local people.’

Cllr Ian Bastable commented on the plan’s policies which give the council ‘the ability to have sensible development in the countryside and takes back control from the things we were complaining about’.

He added: ‘It puts it back in the hands of this council and the planning committee.’

SEE ALSO: Fareham and Waterlooville MP Suella Braverman threatened with legal action over Windrush

Councillor Katrina Trott said: ‘The sooner this comes into being the sooner we as a council and planning committee will have the opportunity to say no to speculative building.

‘We have been put into this position by the government and I wish they listened to local councils much more readily.’

Councillor Susan Walker: ‘It all started many moons ago when we lost a planning appeal in Portchester and a lot of us over the years, where the planning committee has said no to a development an inspector has come along and said yes.

‘This doesn’t give the planning committee more power it gives the inspector the power because if a development does come along and the committee says no the inspector now has a local plan to be able to turn around to that speculative development and say no, Fareham has a local plan, you’re not within that local plan and I’m going to reject it – hopefully I’m right.’