Consultation has opened on New Forest District Council’s Local Plan review.

The Spatial Options and Policy Direction Plan (Regulation 18) sets out the council’s emerging vision, preferred policy directions and options for how future development needs could be met.

At this stage, It does not include final policies or allocated sites but giveS the opportunity to comment on where new developments should go, how housing needs are met locally, heritage and the environment and infrastructure and transport.

The six-week public consultation is from Friday 6 February to Friday 20 March. Then, the council will draft a detailed draft Local Plan. This expected to go out for consultation in the Autumn of this year before it is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for examination.

When the council first decided to press ahead with a new Local Plan two years ago in February 2024, it  recognised ‘several significant changes’ which needed to be addressed.

These included ‘lower than expected housing delivery’, climate change, a nature emergency declaration in 2021 and opportunities from the designation of sites as part of the Solent Freeport.

This was before the Labour Party took power in the July 2025 general election and introduced new housing targets as part of a programme of planning reform – meaning even greater housing supply figures.

We will read the new Spatial Options and Policy Direction document in detail before lodging our comments but it is hoped that the draft Local Plan will take consider the issues which have been identified in other draft Local Plans recently as well as the latest government planning reforms.

This includes releasing land from the green belt and giving consideration to the development that is needed to deliver an effective plan which will provide the homes, infrastructure and economic support that the area needs and deserves.

New Forest District Council is holding a series of drop-in events for residents, businesses and stakeholders to find out more about make comments:

• Tuesday 10 February, 1pm to 6pm – Calmore Community Centre, Calmore Drive (SO40 2ZU)
• Wednesday 11 February, 1pm to 7pm – New Milton Town Hall (BH25 6AS)
• Thursday 12 February, 1pm to 7pm – Jubilee Hall, Fawley (SO45 1DD)
• Friday 13 February, 1pm to 7pm – Fordingbridge Town Hall (SP6 1AS)
• Wednesday 25 February, 1pm to 7pm – Lymington Community Centre (SO41 9BQ)
• Thursday 26 February, 1pm to 7pm – Marchwood Village Hall (SO40 4SF)
• Friday 27 February, 1pm to 7pm – Ringwood Gateway, The Furlong (BH24 1AT)
• Saturday 28 February, 1pm to 5pm – Totton & Eling Community Association CIO, Civic Centre Buildings, Library Road, Totton, Southampton SO40 3RS
• Friday 6 March, 1pm to 7pm – Hythe Parish Hall, West Street (SO45 6AA)
• Monday 9 March, 1pm to 7pm – Hordle Parish Council, Hordle Pavilion, (SO41 0FP)

Please don’t hesitate to contact us to find out more about how the Local Plan review could benefit your plans, project or land.

ENDS