Fears 'unrealistic' new housing targets for Fareham and Gosport threatens 'concreting over the countryside'

Three Conservative MPs from the boroughs sent a letter to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government but Gosport MP Dame Caroline Dinenage said the response confirmed fears that local people’s wishes over the “impossible” new housing targets would be disregarded.

The Labour government made a pre-election pledge to build 1.5 million new homes over the next five years. Its local authority housing targets hiked up Gosport’s annual target from 339 to 442, up 30 per cent, and Fareham’s from 498 to 800, up 61 per cent.

Dame Caroline said: ”Those councils are currently adding an average of 211 houses every year, but are required by Labour’s updated National Planning Policy Framework to jointly add 1,242 houses annually. Which will come into effect on March 12, 2025.”

New National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) targets were reviewed and set by the government in December last year.

In reality, while houses are approved for planning by Fareham and Gosport councils, the number built each year are in the hands of private housebuilders.

Dame Caroline, alongside shadow housing minister Paul Holmes – also Hamble Valley’s MP – and MP for Fareham and Waterlooville Suella Braverman, said that the two local authorities covering Gosport and Fareham are seeing huge increases in their housing targets. Whereas other places like Southampton are seeing a 12 per cent decrease.

In her reply to Dame Caroline, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage said the government expected local authorities to work in partnership with each other to deliver the housing targets, at brownfield sites and, where necessary, green belt. She also said green spaces are important for the public’s mental health and wellbeing.

Yet Suella Braverman MP said that Labour’s plans will find the “countryside being concreted over through imposing unrealistic, rushed housing targets”.

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She added that Tory-run Fareham Borough Council is building 6,000 new homes at Welborn Garden Village but the new targets have ignored this.

Paul Holmes’ main concern was the government’s shift away from its manifesto promise that local authorities play a central role in planning decisions.

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Liberal Democrat-run Gosport Borough Council agreed in its policy and organisation board meeting in September to support the government’s NPPF, but it is at a loss as to where the proposed new houses will be built.

Fareham Borough Council’s executive member for planning and development, Cllr Malcolm Daniells (Locks Heath, Con) said at a full council meeting that development must be done in a reasonable way that respects the local environment and infrastructure providing homes for future generations. “Yet, under this government, it feels as though our plans are being overridden and our voice silenced,” he said.

Leader of Fareham Borough Council, Simon Martin, said on social media: “The ability to take local factors into account, to ensure the delivery of sufficient infrastructure by developers and to create cohesive, well-designed and integrated communities has been stolen from us in Angela Rayner’s headlong rush to reach her self- imposed housing target.“Local input via council planning committees will be at best sidelined and at worst ignored.”

Dame Caroline said: “This letter suggests that the government intends to press on with its plans to eradicate the local strategic gap with unfettered development – giving developers free reign in the area.“I have deep concerns over what this means for the Gosport constituency in terms of quality of life. Recent analysis found that Gosport is already the least green town in the UK.”

In Fareham, another 1,250 could soon be built between Fareham and Stubbington on land south of Longfield Avenue. The borough council refused it over fears it would close the strategic gap between the two areas but an appeal was lodged. It is now awaiting a decision from the government.