PC 510/26 – New Forest District Council Local Plan Reg 18 Consultation – New Forest National Park Authority Consultation Response

1. Introduction

1.1 On 6 February 2026 New Forest District Council launched a 6-week consultation on their ‘Regulation 18 Spatial Options and Policy Directions’ as part of their Local Plan review. Full details are available at Local Plan review - New Forest District Council and the consultation runs to 20 March 2026.

1.2 The National Park Authority is a statutory consultee on the District Council’s Local Plan Review. The map below is from the District Council’s consultation document and illustrates the close relationship between the respective District Council (yellow shading) and National Park Authority (grey shading) planning areas.

1.3 Paragraph 13 of the Council’s consultation document states, “…we are preparing this draft Local Plan in close consultation and cooperation with the New Forest National Park Authority, which is producing a replacement Local Plan for the New Forest National Park area. Our timetables are similar and key parts of our evidence base are shared or jointly produced.” This is correct and several of the key evidence base studies to inform the Council’s Local Plan Review were jointly commissioned with the National Park Authority, illustrating that although we prepare separate ‘development plans’, the two authorities work closely together.

1.4 It is acknowledged that the Council face a series of challenges in reviewing the statutory development plan for the District within the timetable set out. These include, but are not limited to, Local Government Reorganisation in Hampshire; the creation of a new Mayoral Combined County Authority for Hampshire; and, perhaps most significantly, the delivery of the national growth agenda in a planning area with a rich array of natural and built environmental designations.

2. Summary of the main proposals and emerging ‘policy directions’

2.1 It is important to highlight that the District Council has not published a full draft Local Plan at what is still part of their Regulation 18 initial consultation. Instead the Council’s current consultation focuses on spatial options for the delivery of new development to meet identified needs; and ‘policy directions’ setting out their current thoughts on key planning policy areas to be included within their revised Local Plan (which will cover the period to 2043) and be the subject of further consultation in early Autumn 2026 prior to submission for examination.

2.2 The main focus of the District Council’s consultation document is on the spatial options for meeting identified development needs arising in the District. These needs are significant for a planning area of circa 140,000 people and careful consideration will need to be given to the extent to which these needs can be met given the environmental designations in and around the New Forest.

2.3 The approach set out to calculating housing need on page 36 of the Council’s consultation document is supported. In summary, the Government’s standard methodology for calculating need is based primarily on existing housing stock and affordability. It does not disaggregate needs arising in National Park areas from their constituent local authority areas and so this apportionment falls on local planning authorities to agree through their respective local plan reviews. In the case of the New Forest, circa 83% of the existing dwelling stock in New Forest District is located in the District outside the National Park and therefore the Government’s standard methodology figure of 1,511 net new dwellings per annum is apportioned between the National Park and District Council planning areas accordingly. The approach taken by New Forest District Council is consistent with the National Planning Practice Guidance wording and is supported. The consultation document also confirms the standard method housing need figure is a starting point for the plan-review process and is not the final housing requirement. This is important and a matter that it is recommended the National Park Authority’s proposed consultation response includes coverage of (see section 4).

2.4 Paragraph 102 of the consultation document states, “…based on the evidence so far, it is very likely that there is not enough land available in the Plan Area to meet the housing need calculated using the Government’s standard method. The shortfall is expected to be significant. This means the Local Plan will need to set a housing target that reflects what can realistically be delivered within the Plan Area during the plan period. We will continue working with neighbouring authorities to address any unmet need and will also assess the environmental and economic implications of different growth levels.” This illustrates the challenge facing New Forest District Council in their Local Plan review and it is agreed that meeting the ‘policy off’ housing need figure will not be possible in New Forest District.

2.5 The District Council has identified 15 potential development areas, referred to as Strategic Development Growth Options that may have potential for development of 100+ homes. In addition, several other potential development sites that may have potential for 10-99 homes have also been identified for consultation. At this stage, these are options for consideration and testing, not proposed site allocations. The Council is seeking views on these potential sites - illustrated on the plan below - to help shape the next steps in the Local Plan Review process.

2.6 In addition to the identified housing need for 1,254 dwellings per annum in the District, evidence on economic development needs (commissioned jointly with the National Park Authority and undertaken by the consultants Lichfields) shows a need for around 142,600 square metres (14.26 hectares) of new employment floorspace in the District over the period to 2043. The District Council’s consultation document sets out spatial options for how this identified need could be met, including a series of potential site allocations.

2.7 The District Council’s consultation document also sets out a series of ‘Policy Directions’ on a range of planning policy matters where feedback is sought. Several of these are pertinent to the work and remit of the National Park Authority, including protecting the internationally designated sites of the New Forest, Solent & Avon Valley; biodiversity, local nature recovery & environmental enhancement; green & blue infrastructure; back up grazing land; high quality design, landscape and place-making; climate change mitigation and adaptation; renewable energy & energy efficiency; and the rural economy. Where appropriate, it is recommended that the National Park Authority responds to the policy directions outlined by the Council and further detail is set out in section 4 of this report.

3. Consideration of impacts on the New Forest National Park

3.1 National planning policy (e.g. paragraphs 189 – 190 of the current National Planning Policy Framework, December 2024) and primary legislation (e.g. Section 245 of the Levelling Up & Regeneration Act 2023) require ‘relevant authorities’ to seek to further the statutory National Park purposes in delivering their functions. Further guidance on the delivery of this strengthened statutory duty is available at Guidance for relevant authorities on seeking to further the purposes of Protected Landscapes - GOV.UK which confirms that neighbouring planning authorities to National Parks are ‘relevant authorities’ and are therefore covered by the duty. The guidance states, “…relevant authorities will need to apply the duty when undertaking any function in relation to, or so as to affect, land in a Protected Landscape. This may include the preparation of Development Plans and associated assessments and documents…[and]… functions outside of a Protected Landscape which may have an effect on land in a Protected Landscape.” The guidance emphasises the duty is an active duty, not passive, which means, “…a relevant authority should be able to demonstrate with proportionate, reasoned, and documented evidence the measures to which consideration has been given when seeking to further the statutory purposes of Protected Landscapes.”

3.2 In terms of national planning policy, paragraph 189 of the NPPF (December 2024) confirms that development within the setting of National Parks and National Landscapes, “…should be sensitively located and designed to avoid or minimise adverse impacts on the designated areas.” This is particularly relevant for the review of the New Forest District Local Plan given the relationship between their plan area and the National Park and the Cranborne Chase National Landscape.

3.3 Section 4 of this report sets out the recommended areas that the Authority’s formal consultation response is based on. In this it is recommended that the District Council prepares a report to form part of the evidence base for their Regulation 19 Plan setting out how they have considered impacts on the nationally designated landscapes, as envisaged by the Government’s guidance from December 2024.

3.4 It is clear the District Council recognises the legal requirement to consider impacts on nationally protected landscapes and a report that collates the measures they are taking to manage impacts would be beneficial. For example, paragraph 74 of the main consultation document states, “…in relation to the New Forest National Park, the proposed policy approach will consider the relevant information contained and relevant objectives / actions from the New Forest National Park Partnership Plan. This includes five theme-based agendas for action which have also been used to inform the council’s Green & Blue Infrastructure (GBI) Technical Study. The statutory purposes of the New Forest National Park, in conjunction with its local objectives, have informed the identification of the priority projects in the GBI study. The council therefore needs to provide a clear policy approach for the implementation of the key priority projects alongside emerging growth points and site allocations.” This is broadly welcomed and further details are awaited, demonstrating how the duty is being delivered. Similarly the ‘Possible Strategic Policy Approach: Protection of the New Forest National Park and Cranborne Chase National Landscape’ outlined on page 33 of the Council’s consultation document is considered reasonable and appropriate.

4. New Forest National Park Authority – recommended areas for response

4.1 As outlined in the introduction to this report, the National Park Authority is a statutory consultee on the review of the New Forest District (outside the National Park) Local Plan. In addition, there are legal and planning policy requirements for the District Council to carefully consider impacts on the National Park in delivering their planning functions (including plan-making/review).

4.2 The National Park Authority and District Council have a positive working relationship. This is reflected in a range of evidence base studies that have been jointly commissioned by the two planning authorities, including evidence on housing need, employment needs and the need for additional gypsy, traveller & travelling showpeople’s provision. It should also be recognised that although the National Park is covered by a separate local plan, the communities within the New Forest District Council planning area make a distinctive contribution to the cultural heritage of the National Park. This is highlighted by the reference to back-up grazing within the Council’s consultation, but could be supplemented by other policy areas that contribute to the strengthening of the cultural heritage.

4.3 The respective planning policy teams meet on a regular basis and the local plan review timetables for the District Council and National Park Authority are closely aligned. It is within this context of co-operation that the following areas are recommended to be included in the Authority’s consultation response.

5. Conclusions and next steps

5.1 As outlined above, the New Forest National Park Authority and New Forest District Council have a positive working relationship. Many of the key evidence base studies that inform the respective local plans reviews have been jointly commissioned and our timetables for the main milestones in the plan-review process are similar, with both planning authorities looking to consult on their Regulation 19 (Submission draft) Local Plans in early Autumn 2026, prior to submission for independent examination in December 2026.

5.2 The District Council have a series of national policy agendas and priorities to seek to address in their local plan review. The District Council’s plan-area is heavily designated and it is the environment of the New Forest (including the wider Solent coast and Avon Valley) that make such a positive contribution to people’s quality of life. The Council’s Local Plan plays a key role in safeguarding these qualities.

5.3 The National Park Authority recognises the challenges faced by the District Council in balancing the national policy objectives. The proposed feedback on the Council’s Regulation 18 ‘Spatial Options and Policy Direction’ consultation recognises the positive work undertaken in many policy areas. The proposed response also recommends that the District Council collates into a single report evidencing how they are seeking to deliver the statutory National Park purposes through their Local Plan Review.

Recommendation:

Members of the Planning Committee:

1. Endorse the key principles set out in the box after paragraph 4.3 of this report to form the basis of the Authority’s consultation response; and
2. Delegate authority to the Interim Head of Planning & Place – in consultation with the Chair and Deputy Chair of Planning Committee – to submit the final response by the deadline of 20 March 2026.

Papers:

PC 510/26 – Cover report

Equality and Diversity Implications:

There are not considered to be any specific equality or diversity implications arising out of this report. Ultimately it is a decision for New Forest District Council how they revise their local planning policies and discharge their statutory responsibilities.