CIVIC chiefs have rubber-stamped the next consultation on the district's housing and employment allocations, after an effort from the Conservatives to remove any sites in the countryside.
The local plan's regulation 19 consultation started on Thursday, August 29 and will be available for comments until October 13.
The latest draft previously went before Winchester City Council's scrutiny committee and cabinet before the four-hour full council meeting on Wednesday, August 28.
The meeting was brought forward after the Labour government announced new housing targets, meaning the number of homes earmarked for Winchester district per year has gone up from 676 to 1,099, an increase of 423, or 62 per cent.
The plan includes development at major sites such as Sir John Moore Barracks and Bushfield Camp, as well as smaller sites in the southern parishes and market towns.
Cllr Stephen Godfrey, Conservative, praised many aspects of the plan but then suggested an amendment to only build on brownfield sites.
READ MORE: Winchester civic chiefs to approve local plan consultation
He said: “I welcome many aspects of this plan. I applaud the improvements to bio-diversity and the more flexible approach to affordable housing.”
However, after he introduced the amendment, he added: “Now is the time to act to protect the countryside.
Council leader Martin Tod said: “We will not be supporting this amendment. The Conservative party really is in a mess on this one. This would cause a major delay by reducing the number of site allocations.”
The amendment was rejected with eight votes for, 31 against and one abstention.
Earlier in the meeting, members of the public and council asked a variety of questions on the housing numbers and site allocations in Sutton Scotney and Wickham.
Patrick Davies, a former leader of the Labour group on the city council, has been critical of the process.
In response to his question about the upcoming changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), Cllr Tod said: “The most important thing we can do to properly control development in the Winchester district is to have an up to date local plan and that is what we will be discussing. The guidance is that local planning authorities that have submitted their plan for inspection within the deadline of the publication on the NPPF should proceed. The council is following that procedure to the letter.
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“It is clear that Mr Davies has not read the NPPF consultation document because it lays out the process which is absolutely clear that if a council has submitted its regulation 22 plan for inspection within one month of the approval of the draft NPPF, then the inspector will be expected to inspect it on that basis.”
Cllr Jackie Porter, cabinet member for place and local plan, said: “I believe the proposal is a sound local plan. This plan is an ambitious one for the Winchester district. Our countryside is a valuable asset and our plan protects it. Our council wants to address the cost of living with a fixed proportion of homes being affordable.
“Our council wants to use brownfield land first. But inevitably some greenfields will be allocated. Some difficult decisions will need to be made.”
Cllr Tod added: “I would like to thank Cllr Porter for her leadership in getting the plan to this point.”
For more details about the local plan consultation, visit localplan.winchester.gov.uk.
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