Council consults on new planning guidance to improve development quality
Release date: 12 January 2010
New Forest District Council is consulting on a draft planning guidance document for New Milton and Barton-on-Sea which is aimed at ensuring new development is well designed and respects local character and distinctiveness.
This is the first of a series of guidance documents which the council will be preparing for the towns and villages across the district.
Protecting and enhancing local character and distinctiveness, in the face of pressures for change, has become an increasingly important issue to both New Forest District Council and local communities.
The council has been concerned about the impact of national planning policies of the early 2000s which encouraged higher density development within existing built-up areas. In some areas higher density developments were not in keeping with local character and had an adverse affect on local distinctiveness.
Promoting good design in new development and ensuring it contributes positively to local character are now key messages in the council's corporate plan, in the sustainable community strategy and in the planning framework for the area – the core strategy.
Cllr Chris Treleaven, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Transportation, said: "It is very important that where new development takes place in our towns and villages it is well designed, contributes to local character and maintains the features of an area that local people value.
"Unfortunately, this has not always been achieved in the past, but this new guidance will help the council ensure that future development is consistently of high quality."
The council hopes that the design guidance offered in the New Milton Local Distinctiveness Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) will help those considering new building to design their new development in a way that contributes positively to the local character of an area. The guidance is not only aimed at developers, but also householders, landowners and businesses considering undertaking new development.
When adopted, the SPD will be considered by councillors, planners and government inspectors alike, as a material factor in considering planning applications in New Milton and Barton-on-Sea.
The period of public consultation on the draft New Milton Local Distinctiveness Supplementary Planning Document is from 18 January to 1 March 2010.
The document can be viewed on the council's web-site at: newforest.gov.uk - draft New Milton Local Distinctiveness Supplementary Planning Document and at New Forest District Council offices in New Milton, Lymington and Lyndhurst.