City Councillors’ News

Proposals for changes to the Local Plan have finally been published. This is the first version of the new Local Plan that includes the proposed development policies and the proposed allocation of sites for new development. There are some significant changes in the policies that have come forward as a surprise to us. Some changes are welcome, others cause concern:

• Energy efficiency. New homes will need to be built with no fossil fuels used for heating or cooking and must operate at net zero carbon. Developers may find this target hard to deliver initially.

• Water efficiency. New and refurbished homes will have to manage the use of water very carefully. This will need external assessors that will add costs for smaller schemes.

• Sustainable Travel. New homes that generate extra demand for travel will need to contribute to public transport schemes. In rural areas, it is hard to see how this can be used to improve local travel arrangements.

• Affordable Housing. More flexibility in the amount of affordable housing is proposed, with a lower % required on brownfield land. Of the affordable homes built on a site, 65% must be for rent and 25% must be “First Homes” (always to be sold at 25% below the market price).

Proposals for new development site allocations were also published. These include 900 new homes at Sir John Moore Barracks, but without any of the safeguards to the rural character of Littleton that the Parish Council are demanding. Despite rejection by South Wonston Parish Council, allocations for 63 new homes have been made in the village, including sites near Chaucer Close and West Hill Road North. We will continue to object to developments in the countryside like these. Please have your say on the proposed changes to the Local Plan during the consultation that runs from 2nd November to 14th December 2022 – details on the City Council website.

You can contact your City Councillors at any time or you can catch us at any of the Parish Council meetings. None of our Parish Councils meet during August. Their next meetings are on:

Micheldever PC Wednesday 2nd November

Wonston PC Wednesday 9th November

South Wonston PC Monday 14th November

Stephen

Cllr Stephen Godfrey

119 Downs Road

South Wonston

SO21 3EH

Tel: 01962 884477 sgodfrey@winchester.gov.uk

The Warren Centre.

Victoria Hall, Sutton Scotney.

South Wonston Pavilion. All meetings start at 7.30pm.

Caroline

Cllr Caroline Horrill

Wheatlands

Woodman Lane

Sparsholt

SO21 3SH

Tel: 01962 776844 chorrill@winchester.gov.uk

Patrick

Cllr Patrick Cunningham

The Corner House

North Drive

Littleton

SO22 6QA

Tel: 07866 367897 pcunningham@winchester.gov.uk