North / North East Hedge End Strategic Development Area (N/NE Hedge End SDA )

• Where is it?
• Who makes the plans?
• Partnership for Urban South Hampshire ( PUSH )
• Eastleigh Borough Council
• Winchester City Council
• Can I comment?
• Timeline
• Who decides?
• Who can I talk to?
• News

 

Where is it?

The Strategic Development Area (SDA) is proposed to be sited to the north/north east of Hedge End.  Its boundaries have not yet been defined, but the area of search extends partly into Winchester District.

 

• South Hampshire Sub-Regional Strategy - Background Document  pdf

N/NE Hedge End SDA Initial Feasibility Study

 

Who makes the plans?

South East England Regional Assembly ( SEERA )

 

SEERA prepares the South East Plan, which covers the whole South East Region.  The South East Plan provides a framework for spatial planning and development for the region.  The N/NE Hedge End SDA is part of the draft South East Plan's proposals for South Hampshire. 

 

• The submitted draft South East Plan can be seen on SEERA's website 

 

The first draft South East Plan was published for public consultation in January 2005.  This set out options for development in South Hampshire, including the potential for up to four SDAs, but did not identify any specific locations. 

 

The SE Plan was amended and submitted to the Secretary of State in March 2006.  This submitted draft of the Plan identified the Strategic Development Areas at N/NE Hedge End and Fareham.  It was published for public consultation, and all the comments made were considered by a Panel of Inspectors at an Examination in Public which took place November 2006 – March 2007. 

 

The Panel reported to the Secretary of State in August 2007.  They addressed issues relating to both the SDAs, and recommended no change to the Plan for a variety of reasons, including the work that had been done on alternative locations for the SDAs, and because they felt that they avoided coalescence of settlements and major environmental impacts. 

 

• Their report is on the  Government Office for the South East website

 

The Secretary of State is currently considering whether she will propose changes in response to the Panel Report.  Any proposed changes will be published for public consultation.  The Secretary of States conclusions are anticipated in July 2008.

 

Partnership for Urban South Hampshire ( PUSH )

Work on the South East Plan has been informed by inputs from local planning authorities and other organisations across the region, including those PUSH .  PUSH is a voluntary organisation of eleven local authorities in South Hampshire, including Hampshire County Council, the two unitary authorities of Southampton and Portsmouth, and the District Councils of New Forest, Test Valley, Winchester, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Havant and East Hampshire – see the PUSH website.  

 

During 2003, these local authorities decided to work more closely together to tackle the economic challenges of South Hampshire, where economic performance was lagging behind the rest of the South East.  The PUSH vision for the South Hampshire sub-region is for a revitalised local economy which will be achieved through sustainable, managed growth.  PUSH has developed this vision since 2004 in consultation with stakeholders and the public. 

 

In 2004, when SEERA were seeking inputs to the first draft South East Plan, it was agreed that for South Hampshire, this advice would be provided under the banner of PUSH.

 

When looking at the future of South Hampshire, PUSH has concluded that a comprehensive approach needs to be taken which takes into account jobs and skills, housing (including affordable housing), transport and accessibility, the quality of the environment etc.  This approach is set out in the South Hampshire Sub-Regional Strategy, which was submitted as evidence to SEERA during the preparation of the South East Plan. 

 

• South Hampshire Sub-regional Strategy Final Advice December 2005

 

With regard to housing, the PUSH strategy, reflected in the South East Plan, is to accommodate most of the new development in the cities and towns, the remainder to be focused mainly in new settlements located to support the cities – the two Strategic Development Areas - and large sites adjoining the urban areas.  PUSH has emphasised strongly to Government that the strategy can only be achieved by investment in new infrastructure (transport, affordable housing, water, sewerage etc).

 

In response to consultations from SEERA , and as inputs to the South East Plan Examination in Public (EiP), PUSH has produced:

• Advice on housing numbers to be accommodated in South Hampshire over the next 20 years (80,000)
• Advice on how this should be distributed, including the proposed SDAs at N/NE Hedge End and Fareham, and options considered
• Feasibility studies of the SDAs

You can see the advice given by PUSH to SEERA and the EiP at:

 

• Progress and Achievements
• What we do 
• Advice to SEERA
• South Hampshire

 

Eastleigh Borough Council

Eastleigh Borough Council is required to put into effect the proposals of the South East Plan for this Borough in its new Local Development Framework, which will identify the sites where development is to take place. 

 

In its October 2005 response to the PUSH and Hampshire County Council consultation 'Where shall we live' September-October 2005 (see 'Can I comment?' below), Eastleigh Borough Council set out its formal position on housing generally and the N/NE Hedge End SDA in particular.  In summary, the Borough Council rejected SEERA's approach to determining district housing numbers, and with regard to the N/NE Hedge End SDA said:

 

 

Eastleigh Borough Council also required that the SDA :

• would be relatively self-contained and include all necessary community facilities and amenities; and
• should be clearly separated from existing substantial urban communities by a clear gap sufficient to prevent coalescence.

 

• See the full text of Eastleigh Borough Council's conclusions

[Note: The Council minutes refer to paragraphs in a report that went to its Cabinet on 17 October 2005, which you can see here]

 

These views were sent to SEERA in response to their request for information on the possible locations for housing development in South Hampshire.  SEERA were reminded of Eastleigh Borough Council's views during their consultation on the submitted South East Plan of March-June 2006.

 

There has been no change to Eastleigh Borough Council's position as regards the N/NE Hedge End SDA since then.

 

Winchester City Council

Winchester City Council is also required to put into effect the proposals of the South East Plan in its new Local Development Framework, which will identify the sites where development is to take place.  The City Council responded to the PUSH and Hampshire County Council consultation 'Where shall we live' September-October 2005, and the submitted South East Plan in 2006.  The City Council's comments on the SDAs which was submitted in June 2006 said:

 

"The City Council objects to Policy SH2 in relation to both of the proposed SDAs on the basis that:

• It is not possible to say whether the SDAs would be preferable to smaller urban extensions in the absence of strategic environmental assessment of the options;
• Work on the N/NE Hedge End SDA has indicated potential problems in relation to traffic and transport, water supply and sewage disposal, and infrastructure provision and it has not yet been demonstrated that these can be satisfactorily addressed; 
• Insufficient work has been undertaken on the Fareham SDA to overcome the City Council's concerns about the landscape impact and traffic implications of this proposal;
• Both SDAs may threaten the separate identity of nearby settlements or the important gaps between them.

 

The City Council nevertheless supports the inclusion within Policy SH2 of the references to retaining gaps with Wickham, Knowle and the settlements neighbouring Hedge End."

 

The N/NE Hedge End SDA is likely to extend partly into Winchester District.  Winchester City Council has reflected this in work on its emerging Core Strategy published for consultation in January 2008.  You can see details of this consultation on their web site

 

Can I comment?

The principle of developing SDAs in South Hampshire first appeared in the draft South East Plan published for public consultation in January 2005.  However, this did not identify specific locations for them.  In response to this consultation, PUSH confirmed to SEERA that South Hampshire would accommodate 80,000 new dwellings over the next 20 years.

 

Since then there have been two main public consultations referring specifically to the N/NE Hedge End SDA:

 

• September-October 2005

Consultation by PUSH and Hampshire County Council entitled 'Where shall we live'

 

SEERA asked PUSH and Hampshire County Council to show how 80,000 dwellings could be accommodated in South Hampshire.  In September-October 2005, PUSH and Hampshire County Council undertook a major consultation entitled 'Where shall we live?'.  On behalf of PUSH, the questionnaire asked for views on the distribution of housing development in south Hampshire, and on behalf of Hampshire County Council, it asked for views on housing development in north and central Hampshire. 

 

This questionnaire was included in the 'Hampshire Now' magazine, distributed throughout the County.  Options identified for South Hampshire included a focus on 'brown field' (urban) sites, green field extensions to the urban areas, and the SDAs at Fareham and N/NE Hedge End. 

• View the questionnaire

 

Report of this consultation and an analysis of the comments made

 

Conclusions of the consultation were taken into account in final advice that PUSH sent to SEERA in December 2005

 

 

 

 

• March 2006

 Submission of the South East Plan

 

• The submitted South East Plan - Consultation took place March – June 2006.

 

Comments on the submitted plan, including challenges to the SDAs, were considered by the Panel who conducted an Examination in Public (EiP) of the draft SE Plan November 2006 – March 2007. 

 

• Panel Report published August 2007 

 

The next formal public consultation on the South East Plan will be undertaken by the Secretary of State if she proposes changes to the Plan in response to the EiP Panel Report. 

 

Winchester City Council has undertaken public consultation on their Core Strategy Issues and Options in January-February 2008. This consulted people on a wide range of issues and the options for addressing them, including the main factors which should be taken into account in planning for the SDA.

 

• See their Consultation web page

 

In due course Eastleigh Borough Council will consult you on the various elements of its Local Development Framework - See its Statement of Community Involvement (note, this is soon to be updated to reflect recent Government changes to the LDF system).  If the location of the SDA at N/NE Hedge End is confirmed, an Area Action Plan will be prepared for the development by Eastleigh Borough Council and Winchester City Council.  This will involve substantial public consultation.

Timeline

Year	Month	Event	Public Consultation
2003		Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) is formed
2004		SEERA starts work on South East Plan
	August	SEERA supplies a brief to PUSH for preparation of a strategy for the South Hampshire sub-region
	November	PUSH submits a strategy for the South Hampshire Sub-Region to SEERA
2005	January	SEERA publishes first draft of South East Plan, 'A Clear Vision for the South East' for public consultation	*
	June	PUSH submits a more refined version of the South Hampshire Strategy to SEERA.  SEERA sends PUSH a brief for a study of housing distribution
	September-October	PUSH and Hampshire County Council public consultation 'Where shall we live'	*
	December	PUSH submits South Hampshire Sub-Regional Strategy Final Advice to SEERA
2006	March	SEERA consults on second draft of South East Plan 'A Clear Vision for the South East'  and submits it to the Secretary of State	*
	November	Start of South East Plan Examination in Public – PUSH participates, and submits Strategic Development Area feasibility studies and a number of other documents to the Examination in Public
2007	March	End of Examination in Public
	August	Panel Report of the Examination in Public is published and sent to the Secretary of State
2008	January-February	Winchester City Council consult on Issues and Options for their Local Development Framework Core Strategy, including reference to the N/NE Hedge End SDA	*
	March	Eastleigh Borough Council formally commences work on its Local Development Framework Core Strategy – Eastleigh's Community Strategy is also under review, and a joint Issues and Options consultation is anticipated October-November 2008	*
	Up to July	Further feasibility studies have commenced looking at transport and infrastructure issues for the N/NE Hedge End SDA   The Secretary of State response to the Panel Report is awaited.  Once this has been received, and there has been consultation and agreement on any amendments proposed, the South East Plan will be adopted	*

 

Who decides?

The Secretary of State makes the final decision about the proposals to be included in the South East Plan.  She will take into account the recommendations of the Panel who conducted the Examination of the draft plan, and comments she receives on any changes she proposes in response to these.  Once any changes have been agreed, the South East Plan will be adopted.

 

Feasibility studies looking at the options for transport infrastructure and other infrastructure such as water and sewerage will also help to inform the final decision about the N/NE Hedge End SDA.  These are under way but not yet complete.  If they demonstrate that it is feasible to build the SDA in this location, Eastleigh Borough Council and Winchester City Council will prepare an Area Action Plan setting out exactly how the area is to be developed, and construction work could start in 2015. 

 

Who can I talk to?

For news and information on the N/NE Hedge End SDA please email:

 

• SEERA
• PUSH
• Winchester City Council
• Eastleigh Borough Council

 

News

We will update this web site to let you know as soon as there is any news about the N/NE Hedge End SDA, including any further consultation from the Secretary of State about any changes she may propose to the South East Plan.

 

We will also put regular updates in the Borough News which is delivered to all households in the Borough.