Introduction and background

The New Forest District Council 'Plan Area'

The 'Plan Area' which is covered by New Forest District Council (NFDC) comprises the yellow area on Figure 1. NFDC is responsible for planning matters in this area including, the production of the Local Plan, Development Management (determining planning applications), Building Control and Planning Enforcement.

Our Local Plan Area is not contiguous, but comprises three broad sub-areas:

• Waterside
• South Coastal Towns
• Avon Valley and Downlands.

Each NFDC sub-area is described in more detail later in the document.

The Plan Area is in, and near, a number of International Nature Conservation sites (SPAs, SACs and Ramsars), including the New Forest, as well as across the Solent and Southampton Water. Under the Conservation of Habitatsand Species Regulations 2017(as amended), all new residential development within the Plan Area will have to consider its impact upon the conservation and protection of the internationally important sites and will need to be accompanied by an extensive package of habitat mitigation measures.

The parts of the district within the New Forest National Park (the grey area on figure 1) are not covered by our Review. Instead, within the National Park, planning is the responsibility of the New Forest National Park Authority(NFNPA) who prepare a separate local plan for their area.

As introduced in the Levelling up and Regeneration Act 2023, NFDC have a strengthened legal duty to further the purposes of both the New Forest National Park and the Cranborne Chase National Landscape. The National Park purposes are to:

• conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife, culture and heritage
• promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of national parks by the public.

If there is any conflict between these purposes, greater weight must be attached to the purposes of conserving and enhancing the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Park. The purpose of a National Landscape is to protect and enhance the natural beauty of the area. The natural beauty of these areas is the sum of its 'sense of place'. It includes geology, climate, landform, and species which together give rise to the industry, heritage, culture, and language of a place.

What is a local plan?

Local plans are the key documents through which local planning authorities can set out a vision and framework for the future development of the area, engaging with their communities in doing so. Our Plan will set out a strategy and policies for the use, development or protection of land and buildings in the Plan Area for at least 15 years. These policies are then used as the basis for determining planning applications.

The new Local Plan will replace the existing adopted policies set out in the current Adopted Local Plan, which comprises Part One (adopted July2020)and Part Two (adopted 2014),as well as saved elements of the Core Strategy (2009). The Plan will include policies that address the strategic priorities for the area. Policies will cover a diverse range of topics including climate change, housing, economy, infrastructure, biodiversity, and transport.

The Plan will not cover minerals and waste planning as this will be a matter for the Minerals and Waste Local Plan produced by the Hampshire minerals & waste planning authorities, led by Hampshire County Council.

In December 2024, the government published a new National PlanningPolicy Framework(NPPF). This document has been prepared in the context of the current NPPF, and we will continue to have regard to any revisions to government policy as our review progresses. The government is seeking to significantly boost housing supply and delivery and has set a target to deliver 1.5 million dwellings across England by 2029.

Role of other Local Authorities, Agencies, Organisations, and Individuals in the Plan

Whilst we have responsibility to produce a local plan, other tiers of local government are also relevant to the process, both as consultees for the review, and also having responsibilities and/or produce plans which we will need to have regard to. This includes Hampshire County Council, town and parish councils as well as neighbouring authorities.

More details of consultees and the consultation process can be found in our Statement of Community Involvement (SCI).

What are the stages of the production of the New Forest District Local Plan?

The local plan making process that the Council must follow is prescribed in national regulations.

More detail on the timetable is set out in our Local Development Scheme(LDS).

The latest timetable, for the initial stages of Plan preparation, is set out below:

• Issues and Scope Consultation - Spring 2025
• Draft Plan Consultation - Autumn/Winter 2025
• Review of consultation, further testing and refinement - Winter/Spring 2025/26.

What is this 'Issues and Scope' document about, and why are we seeking your views?

This consultation on Issues and Scope is the first formal stage of preparing our Local Plan.

At this stage, we are looking for your views on whether we have identified the right issues facing our Plan and the scope of what the review should cover. We are also seeking your views on individual topics and some of the key issues the Plan will need to address.

This document sets out a summary on a wide range of issues and contains several questions that we would like your views on, but this is not the definitive list, and we would welcome your views on any other topics you feel we may have missed. Details of how to make comments are set out at the end of the document.