We are joining the international celebration of World Town Planning Day!
The day reflects on how good planning improves the lives of people and benefits our societies, creating places to live, work and play together.
Good planning helps us to tackle the effects of climate change. Hart declared a climate emergency in April 2021 and is working towards becoming a carbon-neutral district by 2040.
Since last year’s Town Planning Day, we have given the go-ahead to almost 1,200 planning applications which improve the lives of those living in Hart and beyond.
We gave permission for three solar farms to generate a combined 117.7 MW of energy - enough to power nearly 35,000 homes which equates to approximately 75% of the homes in the district.
We’ve also been busy assessing applications for the suitable re-use of brownfield sites for residential homes. We’ve carefully evaluated and granted permissions for care home bed spaces to ensure we meet the needs of the community. Using brownfield land for a new purpose means we can redevelop sites without the need to use greenfield land.
In the past year, we’ve granted permissions for thousands of additional square feet of business floor space to support economic growth and employment.
We granted the expansion of a historic hotel with the first subterranean conference and events centre in the district!
Hart continues to meet its targets for achieving sustainable development by creating new homes in line with our local plan. We are committed to encouraging the shift towards walking and cycling and helping achieve high quality design.
We’ve been actively engaged with parishes in Hart. There are now ten neighbourhood plans, which give communities a chance to have a say in the future of the places where they live and work. The latest was adopted in July 2022 for Yateley, Frogmore and Darby Green. Winchfield Parish is currently consulting on a new neighbourhood plan to replace their current one. This will cover a broad range of issues including the environment, heritage and meeting local needs for affordable housing. The deadline for responses is 12 December 2022.
Collaborative work is also underway with parishes to updates their Conservation Area Appraisals. These help define the key elements and special qualities that contribute to each area's architectural and historic interest, helping us to promote, protect and enhance the environment.
The first new document for Odiham and North Warnborough was adopted just this month - with others to follow!
8 November 2022