Question 2
Why is the Council planning for so much housing?
The Council has to demonstrate in the Local Plan that it can provide sufficient land to meet housing needs in Eastleigh and the surrounding area. The Government has set targets for how many new houses they require each local authority to build. The Council is working with its South Hampshire neighbours who are working together in a group called Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) to plan for these new homes. The first priority is to deliver development in cities and towns, close to jobs, shops and public transport. Whilst major growth can be accommodated in our cities and towns, there is also a need for new development on green field sites to ensure that the need for new homes is fully met. Each individual authority within the PUSH area has housing targets and from 2011-2036 Eastleigh’s target is to provide 16,250 homes.
Eastleigh Local Plan which was submitted to the Government Inspector in 2011 was not supported because it did not allow for enough homes. It is expected by Government that we allow for the figures that have been agreed within the PUSH partnership.
As a Council, we are committed to ensuring that housing needs for local people are met, we are committed to delivering homes that have a range of tenures to ensure that local people can access new homes – you can read more about this on the front page of Spring 2018 Borough News