Spatial context (2)

New Forest as a place

New Forest District lies on the south Hampshire coast between the conurbations of Southampton to the east, and Christchurch / Bournemouth / Poole to the west. The New Forest National Park lies at the centre of the district. The Plan Area contains most of the district's population, settled in six market towns of Totton, Hythe, Lymington, New Milton, Ringwood and Fordingbridge as well as numerous smaller settlements and large areas of countryside. The settlements in the Plan Area can be identified as belonging to one of three main tiers of settlement as published in the settlement hierarchy from our existing Local Plan Part One:

i.        Towns: Fordingbridge, Hythe Village, Lymington, Marchwood, New Milton, Ringwood, and Totton.

ii.        Main Villages: Ashford, Blackfield, Bransgore, Everton, Fawley, Hardley, Holbury, Hordle, Langley, Milford-on-Sea, and Sandleheath.

iii.        Small Rural Villages: Breamore, Damerham, Ellingham, Harbridge, Ibsley, Martin, Rockbourne, Sopley and Whitsbury.

The hierarchy as currently adopted does not explicitly name all towns and villages, and we would welcome views on a revised hierarchy. The towns and villages covered by this Plan are set out in Figure 2.

According to the 2021 Census, the size of the New Forest population (including the National Park and the Plan Area) was 175,800 people (51.9% male, 48.1% female). The total population has decreased by 700 people (0.4%) since the previous census in 2011 when the population was 176,500. By contrast, the population in Hampshire has increased by 6.3% and the UK population has increased 6.6%. This makes New Forest one of only 25 authority areas within the UK to have shown a decrease in population since 2011. The New Forest has an ageing population and a decreasing working age population.

Relationship of the plan area to the National Park

The Plan Area houses most of the population of the New Forest as a whole and surrounds the New Forest National Park. The relationship between the Plan Area and the surrounding countryside, including the National Park, is a distinctive feature and one of the main attractions for residents and businesses seeking a green and natural environment in which to live and work. Due to the geographical nature of the Plan Area and the National Park, preserving our shared natural assets, including nationally and internationally significant nature conservation areas, is of great importance. Infrastructure, including transport links, is shared and interdependent between the National Park and the Plan Area. Due to government policy (including paragraphs 189 and 190 of the NPPF) the majority of housing and other development to meet needs across New Forest District is expected to predominantly come forward within the Plan Area, outside of the National Park.

The Waterside

The Waterside lies between the National Park and Southampton Water. Much of the area is intensely developed with approximately 37% of the district's population living in the settlements of Totton, Eling, Marchwood, Hythe and Dibden, Hardley, Holbury, Blackfield, Langley and Fawley. The area falls within the Southampton housing and economic market areas, with the A326 providing the main access route linking the settlements with Southampton and the M27, and typically more rural roads linking the Waterside into the National Park. A historic ferry route links Hythe to Southampton, whilst a presently disused railway branch line lays between Fawley and Totton.

The area has a substantial amount of existing employment land, focused on sites in Totton and Marchwood and the Fawley Refinery. A significant increase in employment opportunities is forecast to become available as the Solent Freeport develops. Totton also has a large town centre with a smaller village centre at Hythe. Both settlements also have out-of-centre supermarkets. A number of local centres serve the other settlements.

Most of the coast and the Lower Test Valley is subject to national and international nature conservation designations. Open areas of countryside between the main settlements help to maintain their separate identities, accommodate green infrastructure, and are used for a variety of rural purposes, including agricultural grazing.

South Coastal Area

Located between the National Park and the Solent is the South Coastal Area. The largest towns are Lymington, Pennington and New Milton, with main villages including Milford-on-Sea, Hordle and Everton. There are significant employment estates at Lymington and New Milton, and both have large town centres. There is a village centre in Milford-on-Sea, and local centres elsewhere. Lymington is an historic and popular sailing centre, providing an important ferry route to the Isle of Wight and is also an attractive visitor destination. Barton-on-Sea and Milford-on-Sea are also both important coastal destinations with the latter providing a key access point to the English Heritage owned Hurst Castle, a popular tourist site located within the National Park.

 The A337 links the main settlements with Christchurch to the west and to Brockenhurst and Lymington to the north. Access to the north and east is through the National Park, with some routes along forest roads. Whilst outside of the Plan Area, there is also a level crossing of the mainline railway at Brockenhurst as well as a great number of vehicular movements in Lyndhurst (particularly during the summer months), both of which can cause traffic issues and congestion.

There is an existing minerals extraction site, at Downton Manor Farm with permission for up to 150 trips per day which is safeguarded in the Adopted Hampshire Minerals and Waste Plan. The workings of minerals on this site are reaching its conclusion prior to planned restoration. As part of their partial update to their Minerals and Waste plan, the Hampshire minerals and waste planning authorities are proposing a new minerals extraction site at Ashley Manor Farm. This would replace the existing operations at Downton Manor Farm and would operate within the existing vehicular movements. The geology of the area means that a significant proportion of the remaining countryside is within a 'Mineral Consultation Area' for future minerals extraction prior to any potential alternative development.

Much of the coast is designated nationallyfor its nature conservation importance with a small area designated for its international nature conservation importance east of Milford-on-Sea. The cliffs at Barton-on-Sea are of international geological importance. This area contains the South-West Hampshire Green Belt which tightly surrounds all the settlements and adjoins the South-East Dorset Green Belt to the west.

Avon Valley and Western Downlands

This sub-area lies to the west of the National Park. Around 27,000 people live in the main settlements of Bransgore, Ringwood, Fordingbridge and the downland villages of Damerham, Martin, Rockbourne, and Whitsbury.

The River Avon also flows through this area from Salisbury before reaching the English Channel through Christchurch Harbour, and to the north-west of Fordingbridge lies the Cranborne Chase National Landscape which covers 6,750 hectares of the Plan Area and includes the downland villages.

The A338 runs between Christchurch, through Ringwood and Fordingbridge, to Salisbury. Ringwood has a large town centre with a smaller centre in Fordingbridge. There is also a small village centre in Bransgore. Ringwood contains some sizeable employment estates within the town and at Blashford. There are small settlements in the Avon Valley including Sopley, Ellingham, Harbridge, Ibsley and Breamore. The sub-area is divided between two housing market areas: the south including Ringwood and Bransgore look towards Bournemouth/Christchurch, while Fordingbridge and the north-west have strong links with Salisbury, Wiltshire.

The area has been subject to significant development pressure. The existing Local Plan Part One allocated strategic sites for housing development in Fordingbridge, Ringwood and Bransgore. There are existing minerals extraction sites and most of the land in this area is safeguarded in the Adopted Hampshire Minerals and Waste Plan, which means that any future planning decisions will need to consider potential minerals and waste interests on suitable sites.