Havant Borough Council has submitted the Havant Borough Local Plan to the Secretary of State for examination. Two appointed independent planning inspectors will now examine the plan.
The Havant Borough Local Plan is a key document which will guide and enable sustainable growth, development, jobs and investment up to 2036.
The new local plan is critical to meeting the high need for housing in the area and will mean new homes are provided at the quality that’s required.
The plan includes new and updated policies to guide and determine planning applications, identify land for development, and also sets out how much housing needs to be built - in line with the government's new method for calculating this need.
Councillor Gary Hughes, Deputy Leader and Cabinet lead for Planning, Hayling Seafront Strategy, Commercial Services, at Havant Borough Council, said: “In submitting the Local Plan to the Secretary of State we are taking a big step towards its adoption. The Government-appointed, independent planning inspector will now take full account of our plan, assessing its viability and soundness, along with all the feedback from our residents.
“Our Local Plan has been created to meet our future employment and housing needs in the borough.
“It gives residents certainty about our development plans and future use of land. It shows where development is planned, and therefore where resources and possible additional infrastructure, such as roads or new schools, are needed to support it.
“Without this valuable plan we, as a planning authority, are at the mercy of developers who would be able to cherry-pick development sites without our input.
The submission of the plan follows four public consultations and involves the submission of 27 core documents, 11 statements of common ground with key organisations and 57 evidence base studies which have informed the plan.
All of these documents are available on the council's webpage at www.havant.gov.uk/local-plan-examination.
A public hearing is expected to take place virtually in the summer.