Planning and Development

The ‘Core’ Planning Strategy

The Strategy sets out a long-term spatial vision for minerals and waste planning in Hampshire and contains the primary policies and proposals to deliver that vision.

The South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) has reviewed its policy for minerals apportionment and has pressed the Government to significantly reduce the regional target for land-won sand and gravel to better reflect recent sales trends.  The County Council intends to review the Hampshire Core Strategy to reflect its own view on the level of local need and to accord with a revised regional target (once concluded). Policies on wharves and depots also need to be reworked in response to a recent High Court judgement (see below). That will take some time as further consultation and an examination in public of the regional policy change is required. The progress of the regional review and the apportionment will be updated on the Hampshire Minerals Plan webpage.

The Core Strategy was submitted to Government on the 31 May 2006 and underwent a Public Examination between January and March 2007. The Inspector's Report was published on 29 May 2007. It concludes that subject to amendments recommended by the Inspector - Mr Stephen J Pratt - the Core Strategy meets the tests of 'soundness'.

The dates when each planning authority approved and adopted the Core Strategy are shown below:

  • New Forest National Park Authority - 28 June 2007
  • Hampshire County Council - 12 July 2007
  • Portsmouth City Council - 17 July 2007
  • Southampton City Council - 18 July 2007

Associated British Ports (ABP) have successfully applied to the High Court to have part of the Core Strategy ‘quashed’. An Order has been made that policies S13, S14 and DC18 – Wharves and Rail Depots – and consequential references are deleted.

The Adopted Core Strategy (July 2007), the Core Strategy (2007) with the quashed policies struck through and its Key Diagram with supporting documents are available to download or view in PDF format below.
Please note: the chapters and headings on the table of contents within the PDF document link directly to the text.


The Inspector's Report with his Recommended Changes are shown below with the covering letters:


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