Place local plan

Delivering growth, opportunity and services that shape our place now and for future generations, within a unique environmental context, to ensure we remain a special place to live, work and visit.

Design (and placemaking)

The NPPF highlights that design centres around the creation of high quality and sustainable buildings, and places.  Design and placemaking should be specific to its local area, and we will look to ensure we continue to have a good understanding of our local context of both settlements and countryside. Good design also supports the development of which also supports the development of healthy, safe, and sustainable communities. 

Alongside our Local Plan we are also preparing a district wide Design Code

Why does it matter?

Design and placemaking encompass social and economic opportunity, creating an environment that supports health, wellbeing, and the quality of people's lives.  Great places are safe and inclusive, well planned, and managed, offer equality of opportunity and good services for all whilst promoting a green economy.  The NPPF National Model Design Code and National Design Guide underwrite these ambitions.

What are the issues?

a)   Key principles for designing good quality and sustainable places and communities

The key principles for designing good quality and sustainable places and communities are:

• active, inclusive, and safe
• environmentally sensitive
• well-designed and built
• well-connected
• thriving community/offer and
• future proofed.

Recognising that how we live in our homes has changed over the years, requiring flexibility to adopt to changing household needs, the NPPF allows us to require minimum space standards where the need can be justified.  Additionally, as part of our review we can consider whether there is justification to identify an approach to the provision of private amenity space in private or community gardens, as well as the functional use of external space, e.g. car parking, bin/cycle storage. 

Additionally, we can look at the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Home Movers Survey 2023 which looked to identify the key characteristics and views of occupiers of new homes across the wider Hampshire & Isle of Wight area. The survey showed that over 40% of new homes built within the New Forest area with three or more bedrooms were being occupied by two person households.  It also highlighted that across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, nearly 15% of people work solely from home.45% of households within the New Forest area currently had no one in employment (and the highest percentage of respondents were aged 65+).

Consultation questions:

23.  Are we identifying the correct principles for creating a place people want to live and work, or are there any other principles that need to be considered?

24.  Should we seek to set a policy for the size of houses and gardens that are different from those set nationally?

Climate change

We declared a Climate Change and Nature Emergency in October 2021 to support the government's adoption of environmental objectives, including a legally binding target to reach net zero emissions by 2050. To drive progress against these targets, we are aligning activities across four programme areas:

• carbon reduction
• climate adaptation
• nature recovery and
• programme management.

The key achievements to date, and short-term future plans, are detailed in the NFDC Climate Change and Nature Emergency Annual UpdateReport.

We have provided further extensive guidance on the implementation of climate change policies in the current adopted Local Plan through a Supplementary Planning Document(SPD). This sets out best practice approaches or standards that developers are encouraged to target or adopt, including:

• taking all practical steps to decarbonise the running of buildings
• meaningfully reducing embodied carbon in construction
• ensuring that development is climate change adapted.

Why does it matter?

As sea levels rise, coastal communities will be at increasing risk of tidal flooding and coastal erosion. Furthermore, all communities will experience more extreme weather which is predicted to lead to fluvial, ground and surface water flooding. This will adversely impact operational infrastructure, particularly where critical facilities are in areas at risk of flooding. There are significant financial and emotional costs for those who experience flooding, particularly where properties are difficult or expensive to insure.

What are the issues?

a)   Reducing the causes of climate change

The Local Plan will need to provide a framework for development which reduces greenhouse gas emissions locally as part of the area's wider contribution to national objectives. This will include:

• consideration of the distribution and location of development, to reduce the need to travel within and beyond the Plan Area and maximise opportunities to travel by other means
• sustainability standards for new buildings to minimise the demand for energy
• identifying opportunities for renewable and low carbon energy generation and the associated infrastructure, and, where possible, requiring this as part of new development.

b)   Adapting to the effects of climate change

Significant parts of the Plan Area face some level of flood risk. Areas at risk include low-lying land near the coast and around water courses (including rivers, streams, and the feeder streams, drains and ditches that flow into them), and areas affected by rainwater surface run-off.

The approach to climate change adaptation and ensuring resilience to the effects of climate change will necessitate changes to the way buildings and development sites are planned and designed. These measures may include:

• sustainability standards for new buildings to make them more resilient to the effects of climate change
• locating new development to minimise the risk of flooding, taking into account climate change predictions for sea level rise and increased fluvial, groundwater and surface water flood risk
• protecting water quality and maximising water efficiency
• provision of multi-functional open spaces that can support carbon storage and address temperature increases, flooding, and soil erosion.

Consultation questions:

25.  How do you think we should work towards achieving net zero?

26.  What measures do you think we should take to ensure appropriate climate change adaptation, mitigation, and resilience?

27.  Should we seek more ambitious targets and measures to address climate change?

28.  Other than the private car, what other form of transport (including buses, walking, cycling, rail and water transport) would you use more if you could?

29.  What approach should we take to large-scale renewable energy generation?

Natural environment

The New Forest National Park lies at the centre of the district. With its remarkable range of plants and animals, and ancient tradition of commoning, the National Park is largely protected from major development. While the very high quality of the landscape and environment of the National Park dominates the district, the Plan Area includes other areas of high landscape and environmental quality, including part of the Cranborne Chase National Landscape, the valleys of the rivers Avon and Test and the coast.

We have an ambition that, as a result of the Local Plan, we leave the environment in a better state than it is now. That means achieving environmental net gain. The government has recently introduced a statutory requirement to achieve a minimum of 10% Biodiversity Net Gain.

Why does it matter?

Substantial parts of the Plan Area, including its coastline, are covered by statutory nature conservation designations, a large proportion of which include national, European, and international designations. Outside these there are also many sites that are covered by local nature conservation designations. There are also priority habitats and species, not all of which will be within designated sites. These designations are in place to protect endangered species and the habitats that support them.

Protecting and enhancing our natural environment in the area is fundamental to delivering a sustainable development strategy. The natural environment is an essential and precious asset and underpins our wellbeing and prosperity. The natural environment is therefore proposed to be at the core of the approach to our spatial strategy. There are legislative requirements set out to ensure that protected habitats and their landscapes are not harmed.

What are the issues?

a)   Natural capital

The concept of natural capital is an important part of our growth strategy. The importance of accessible, good quality natural environments to encourage community cohesion, activity and healthy living is recognised as is the role of 'natural capital' in enhancing economic prosperity, productivity and inward investment.

Recognising the complex ways in which our natural, social and economic systems interact enables us to make better decisions that protect and enhance the services and environment that we need.

b)   Recreational impacts and nutrients

The recreational pressures arising from residential development within the Plan Area have a potentially harmful impact on the internationally important nature conservation sites within the New Forest and at coast. To comply with legislation to protect the designated sites, measures need to be taken to ensure adverse effects on the integrity of protected sites from recreational impacts is avoided or mitigated.

The current adopted Local Plan policy, supported by the NFDCMitigation for Recreational Impacts on New Forest European SitesSPDand the Solent Recreation Mitigation Strategy, provides the strategy for mitigation to address the current scale and distribution of development provided for in the adopted Local Plan. This strategy will need to be reviewed against our new Plan.

Our current strategy comprises four main elements:

• new greenspace via the provision of new areas of publicly accessible Alternative Natural Recreational Greenspace (ANRG), required on schemes over 50 dwellings
• enhancements and improvements to local existing greenspace and Footpath/Public Right of Ways (PRoW) located near to where new residential developments have taken place
• ongoing monitoring of the implementation and effectiveness of mitigation schemes, including monitoring usage, changes in overall visitor numbers, environmental impacts and realised benefits
• access and visitor management delivered by our People and Wildlife Ranger to undertake educational and monitoring functions.

The impact of nutrient deposition (nitrates and phosphates) generated by increased wastewater treatment from new development can be harmful to protected habitats. Although new development only makes a very minor contribution to the nutrients reaching the protected habitats, it has to demonstrate that it is 'nutrient neutral'.

c)   Biodiversity and Biodiversity Net Gain

.Key components of the Environment Actinclude the requirement for new development to provide a minimum 10% Biodiversity Net Gain and the opportunity to enter conservation covenants and register off site biodiversity gains. In addition, there is a requirement to prepare a Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Hampshire (led by Hampshire County Council). This strategy will set out the priorities for nature recovery, identify areas of opportunity and help to shape how future funding will be spent to maximise benefits for both people and nature across the county.

d)   Green and blue infrastructure

Green Infrastructure (GI), including blue infrastructure comprising the network of rivers and lakes, comprises a broad range of high-quality green spaces and other environmental features. It should be designed and managed as a multi-functional resource capable of delivering ecosystem services and quality of life benefits. For example, GI supports healthier lifestyles (including opportunities for recreation and active travel), manages flood water, improves air quality, and helps to mitigate the effects of climate change. We have recently undertaken a review of the Green Infrastructure opportunities along the waterside.

e)   Landscape character

Landscape character is unique to its location and influenced by physical and human interaction through history. These landscapes are what makes our area distinctive and there is a need to conserve and enhance many of the features of importance landscape settings, as well as recognising the importance of their views and vistas. A Landscape Character Assessment was last completed in 2000 and will be updated shortly.

Some landscapes are more sensitive to change than others. Development can impact on character and the quality of the landscape. The degree to which development will become a significant or defining feature in the landscape, including skyline (where additional development appears disproportionately dominant), and loss of sense of remoteness, will vary according to site location and the design and form of development proposed. Visual impacts concern the degree to which proposed development will become a feature in particular views (or sequences of views) and the impacts this has on people experiencing views.

f)    Backup grazing land

Commoning is a way of life with a long history in the New Forest. The grazing of animals helps to suppress brambles, gorse, and other course vegetation, thereby creating the landscape of open lawns and trees. Backup grazing land outside of the forest is important to Commoners and can essentially act as functionally linked land to the open forest habitats in the core of the New Forest. The cost of grazing land is often significant and a serious constraint to the long term viability of commoning.

Historically there has been no published map of where backup grazing land is, which makes it difficult to protect. Concerns have been previously expressed that this land was being lost to other uses (incl. development), without due consideration of the impact that the loss of such land can have on the New Forest SPA.

Consultation questions:

30.  What should be our approach to ensuring that people do not harm the particularly environmentally sensitive parts of the New Forest? For example, additional rangers, considering providing a new country park or new more local areas of accessible green space.

31.  What are the key mechanisms we should use to achieve benefits for the environment? How can this be measured?

32.  How should we look to introduce biodiversity net gain targets above the mandated 10%?

33.  How can we make greenspaces more accessible? Should we include minimum standards of access to green space (for example, by size and type)?

34.  How should we look to address the issue of backup grazing land? If so, what evidence is there to inform future considerations?

Green Belt

Government policy sets out that the Green Belt serves five purposes:

• to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas
• to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another
• to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment
• to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns
• to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.

Why does it matter?

Whilst the Plan Area surrounds the National Park, the south-western part is also within the South West Hampshire and the adjoining South East Dorset Green Belt. A Green Belt for this area was first confirmed in 1958 and now stretches from Lymington at the east, Wareham to the west and Ringwood and Verwood to the north.

What are the issues?

Green Belt designation covers land outside defined settlement boundaries in all the South Coastal Towns sub-area, and all the Avon Valley and Downlands sub-area to the south of Ringwood. The extent of the Green Belt has been regularly reviewed in the New Forest, with relatively poorly performing land removed from the Green Belt in the adopted Local Plan to accommodate residential development. Our last Green Belt study was published in 2016.

In the latest 2024 NPPF, a new classification of 'grey belt' was introduced. Grey Belt is defined as land in the Green Belt comprising Previously Developed Land and any other parcels and/or areas of Green Belt that make a limited contribution to Green Belt purposes (specifically those relating to limiting unrestricted sprawl, preventing coalescence and preserving setting and special character of historic towns). it excludes those areas or assets of particular importance listed in footnote 7 of the NPPF (other than land designated as Green Belt).

Consultation questions:

35.  How should our previous Green Belt study be updated and what factors should be considered?

36.  Are there current Green Belt sites that you feel have the potential for more positive uses?

Strategic development locations and opportunities

We need to allocate land to meet the need for development, particularly considering the new housing targets from government. Whilst small scale development can be delivered quickly and can help regenerate existing urban areas, the scale of need means that we will need to consider larger scale allocations.

Why it matters?

Strategic sites can offer the best opportunities to deliver sustainable development through contemporary approaches to place making and climate change adaptations. Larger sites can ensure the provision of infrastructure through on-site delivery and environmental mitigation can be designed as part of the overall scheme, providing easy access for new residents.

What are the issues?

a)   Review of existing strategic site allocations

Our current adopted Local Plan includes strategic site allocations and some of these have progressed to deliver new homes and others are progressing through the planning process. The current status of the Adopted Local Plan strategic site allocations is set out in Appendix A.

b)   Review of other existing site-specific proposals

The Local Plan Part 2: Sites and Development Managementadopted in 2014 sets out a number of detailed proposals and policies, including some smaller site specific allocations for development. Although the current Local Plan (2016-2036) Part One: Planning Strategy was adopted in 2020 many of the Local Plan Part 2 policies are still in place.

Given the amount of time since adoption, it would be appropriate for us to consider whether any allocations from both plans that have not progressed to development should be continued or whether alternative uses should be considered, or the allocation is removed entirely.

c)   Potential new strategic site allocations

We will also need to consider whether there are any additional strategic site allocations that could be brought forward through our review. The 'call for sites' carried out at the end of 2024 is likely to help identify new land and we anticipate similar exercises being carried out during the Plan's preparation.

Consultation questions:

37.  Do you have any views on what the approach should be to existing site allocations that have not yet come forward or progress has stalled?

38.  Are there further sites for any type of development that we should consider?

Open space, sport, recreation and play

Access to a range of high-quality open spaces and recreation opportunities is a key consideration when planning for both new development and existing communities.

Why it matters?

Open spaces provide health and recreation benefits to both people living and working nearby. They have an ecological value whilst also contributing to green infrastructure. Open Spaces can also help provide alternative recreational areas away from sensitive ecological sites and can be an important component in the achievement of sustainable development.

Open spaces can also be a focal point for community social activities. As part of a wider commitment to equalities, open spaces should meet the needs of all users, older and younger, male and female, able-bodied and physically impaired, as well as simple preferences for a range of passive and active forms of recreation.

What are the issues?

a)   Approach to formal sport

Formal sports are those activities which use both indoor and outdoor facilities for organised activities such as playing pitches and indoor sports facilities. Audits and quality assessments of existing facilities are already well under way and are being informed by consultation and interviews with local sports clubs, sport's governing bodies, leisure centres, schools, providers of pitches and facilities and clubs, etc.

The current and anticipated future demographic and socio-economic profile of the Plan Area will be reviewed to ensure a clear understanding of the size and activity rates of the communities that the indoor and outdoor sports facilities strategy are likely to need to serve.

b)   Approach to parks, amenity open space and greenspace

This category includes parks and gardens, amenity open space, play areas, accessible natural & semi-natural greenspace, cemeteries and churchyards and allotments.

.Quantity and access standards will be applied to ensure the Plan Area has sufficient accessible provision of the full range of open space types to serve the needs of all users.

As well as the above, the provision of country parks is also being considered. Initially created to provide recreational attractions, country parks typically now provide a range of facilities and a supervisory service via car borne visitors. Country parks are usually operated as a single unit and managed by statutory bodies, or private agencies or a combination of both. The New Forest has one country park at Lepe, with Moors Valley and Avon Heath Country Parks located just outside the Plan Area in Dorset.

c)   Approach to equipped play areas

Equipped areas of play are currently being assessed with regard to their quantity, access, and quality of provision. Standards will be proposed in response informed both by national benchmarks, the results of this assessment, previous policy, and local consultation.

The current policy approach for the provision for play areas are that where they are proposed to be provided, they should have a range of equipment to fully engage users.

Our existing policies also promote an inclusive approach to make new equipped play areas accessible to all ability ranges.

In addition, there is a need to ensure that existing play equipment meets accessibility standards.

Consultation questions:

39.  What should we do to ensure there is sufficient provision of open space, which is also functional and attractive to our residents?

40.  What do you believe should be our approach to providing open space? This could be either creating a few new larger sized destinations for play areas, sports pitches, smaller scale areas as part of new developments or a new country park?

Historic Environment

The historic environment forms an important part of the Plan Area's character, landscape, and settlements. Significant elements of the historic environment are termed 'heritage assets' and include any building, monument, site, place, area, or landscape positively identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, including below-ground archaeology.

Designated heritage assets include scheduled monuments, listed buildings, registered parks and gardens, and conservation areas. Our Plan Area contains many heritage assets of national importance, as well as undesignated heritage assets which contribute positively to its special character and appearance.

Why does it matter?

The historic environment is a key part of the distinctive character of the Plan Area. Heritage assets are an irreplaceable resource that need to be conserved so that they can be enjoyed and contribute to the quality of life and social vitality of existing and future generations. It is sensitive to change and needs to be properly understood to make sure it is suitably managed and properly conserved. There may be opportunities to enhance the significance of the historic environment and it is important that these opportunities are identified and realised.

The NPPF requires local plans to set out a positive strategy for the conservation and enjoyment of the historic environment, including heritage assets most at risk through neglect, decay, or other threats.

What are the issues?

Our review will consider the need to update the current policy approach to the historic environment in the Adopted Local Plan (Part 2: Sites andDevelopment Management Document). In line with the NPPF, the policy framework will ensure great weight is given to protecting heritage assets and their settings.

It is important that adverse impacts associated with development, whether they are direct, such as new building, or indirect, such as traffic generated by development, are avoided. If they are not capable of being avoided, adverse impacts will require compelling justification. Impacts must then be minimised and mitigated.

Consultation questions:

41.  What should our approach be in relation to the historic environment?

42.  How can we secure the sustainable long-term use of our heritage assets, and help to protect archaeological features as part of new development?