NFNPA Local Plan Update March 2026
Summary
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Summarises the Regulation 18 Part 2 consultation on the draft New Forest National Park Local Plan, held for six weeks from 5 November to 19 December 2025, with multiple drop-in events and an online platform. Over 600 responses were received, including detailed input from statutory bodies. Key themes were strong support for protecting nature, dark skies and tranquillity, with calls to strengthen policies on SSSIs, irreplaceable habitats, Local Nature Recovery Strategy priorities, and possibly higher Biodiversity Net Gain. Heritage and design policies were broadly welcomed, including use of the Design Code, while some parish councils raised concerns about Village Design Statements. Most comments focused on the settlement hierarchy, proposed defined village boundaries, and site allocations, with recurring issues around flooding, drainage, traffic, access, landscape impact and amenity. Updates cover new evidence studies and ongoing cross-authority liaison, with milestones toward submission and examination in 2026–2027.
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Overview of Regulation 18 Part 2 consultation
- 6 week consultation from 5 November to 19 December 2025
- 5 public drop-in sessions held in Ashurst, Landford, Lyndhurst, Redlynch & Sway (25 hours in total) plus an online session
- Consultation posters sent to all 37 town and parish councils within the New Forest National Park
- Consultation and publicity exceeded the requirements set out in the relevant national planning regulations
- Online Commonplace consultation platform enabled people to view and comment on individual chapters of the draft Plan
Overview of Regulation 18 Part 2 consultation
Headlines from the consultation responses
- Representations received from over 600 individuals and organisations
- Natural England: Wide-ranging detailed comments, welcoming the strong emphasis on the natural environment within the draft Plan. Support the main conclusions of the accompanying HRA
- New Forest District Council: Recognise the sensitivity of the National Park and the NPA’s attempts to meet housing need. Call to further assess options for meeting employment needs
- Hampshire County Council: Detailed comments on options for addressing flood risk on proposed site allocations; offer of further engagement on traffic impacts for site allocations
Headlines from the consultation responses
- Historic England: Broadly welcome draft heritage policies and offer suggestions to further strengthen the policy approach
- Wiltshire Council: Support the positive approach taken to addressing housing needs. Identification of Landford-Nomansland and Redlynch as ‘defined villages’ considered reasonable. Feedback provided on highways and education capacity
- Southern Water: Support for planning policy approach on water efficiency. Southern Water assessments undertaken on existing sewerage and water infrastructure for proposed site allocations. Additional wording proposed to draft policies where appropriate
Proposed new Defined Village settlement boundaries
- Landford – Nomansland: Boundary based on boundary in the Salisbury District Local Plan
- Redlynch: Boundary based on boundary in the Salisbury District Local Plan
- Cadnam – Bartley: Representations seeking a wider boundary
Key feedback – Natural Environment
- Support for protecting the natural environment, including nationally, regionally and locally important sites but could be strengthened regarding SSSIs and irreplaceable habitats. Opportunities to further embed LNRS priorities into the Plan
- Some respondents want Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirement to be higher, e.g. 20%, noting Local Plans where this has been successfully adopted. National policy also relevant
- General support for protecting dark skies and tranquillity with some calling for greater emphasis on safeguarding tranquillity
Key Feedback – Built Environment
- Wide support for general approach to the historic and built environment.
- Detailed comments from Historic England with helpful suggested minor wording amendments.
- Broad support for the inclusion of the Design Code (from the adopted Design Guide SPD) as an annex.
- Several Parish Councils expressed concerns over future status of the Village Design Statements SPDs.
Key feedback – Vibrant Communities
- Overwhelming majority of respondents to the draft Plan focused on the proposed settlement hierarchy and the site allocations
- Some support for reviewing the settlement hierarchy and the ‘reasonable alternatives’ to the current approach, noting two of the proposed new villages had defined boundaries previously
- Many respondents consider there should not be any housing development within the National Park, which is not tenable
- General support for policies on Commoners’ dwellings; Estate worker’s dwellings; and agriculture & forestry workers’ dwellings
- Mixed views on maintaining the limit on net new dwellings sizes, with some calling for greater flexibility around the 100m2 limit
Key feedback – Vibrant Communities
| Proposed allocation | Main matters raised |
|---|---|
| Land at Knellers Lane, Ashurst |
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| Land at Calpe Avenue, Lyndhurst |
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| Land west of Brighton Road, Sway |
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| Land at Winsor Road, Bartley |
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| Land at Hamptworth Road, Landford |
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| Land at The Ridge, Redlynch |
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Key Feedback – Local Economy
- Broad support for the local economy policies, especially those supporting commoning, retail development and enabling new or expanded small scale employment development.
- Mixed views on the approach to campsites – some support for the focus on relocating pitches away from sensitive sites, with some calls for more flexible policies allowing new / upgraded sites.
- Additionally, responses from operators of existing tourist facilities sought clarity on which policies would be used to assess the upgrade / redevelopment of such facilities.
- Broad support for the telecommunications policy.
Updates on evidence base studies
- Updated Gypsy, Traveller & Travelling Showpeople’s Accommodation Assessment (GTAA) now completed, indicating a meaningful need arising within the National Park that the Plan must seek to meet
- Sustainability Appraisal published alongside the draft Local Plan in late 2025. HCC looking for further detail on traffic impacts of options; NFDC seeking further consideration of options for meeting employment needs
- Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) published. Natural England support approach to development within 400m of the designated sites; and the recreation mitigation strategies for the Solent and New Forest
- Initial Viability Assessment published. Further work to be undertaken on impact of policies on BNG, sustainable construction, affordable housing and the size of dwellings, as well as the Building Safety Levy
On-going liaison
- Duty to co-operate meetings held with BCP Council, Dorset Council, New Forest District Council, Test Valley Borough Council, Wiltshire Council during the consultation period
- Meetings with landowners / site promoters held in January 2026 and follow up site visits undertaken. Additional work being commissioned in response to consultation responses
- Meetings taking place with Hampshire County Council and Wiltshire Council in their capacity as the highways, housing, education and Lead Local Flood Authority for their respective areas of the National Park
Key dates and milestones
- Full Authority meeting where the Regulation 19 Submission draft Plan will be considered: 23 July 2026
- Planned consultation on the Regulation 19 Submission draft Plan: Mid August – early October 2026
- Submission to the Secretary of State for Examination: December 2026
- Independent Examination: 2027