This page contains latest news about the Basingstoke and Deane Local Plan.
Current consultations
All of the consultations below will run for six weeks between 9 October and 20 November. Please respond by 5pm on 20 November 2026.
Scoping Consultation
The council has launched a consultation asking for input into the first formal stage in preparing the new Local Plan under the new system. The Scoping Consultation focuses on the scope of the new plan and how we will engage with the community on it. It includes a draft vision and a number of measurable outcomes that the Local Plan will achieve, as well as potential future policy areas. Representations on this document can be made under questions 1 to 5 of the consultation.
Consultation on a Draft Community Engagement Strategy
As part of the Scoping Consultation, the council is also inviting comments on how we propose to engage with local communities and stakeholders on the new Local Plan. The council is inviting comments on a draft Community Engagement Strategy and representations on this document can be made under question 6 of the consultation.
Consultation on an Integrated Impact Assessment Scoping Report
The Local Plan will be informed by an Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA). The assessment considers the likely environmental, social and economic effects of the Local Plan to help inform the choices we make as the Plan develops. An IIA Scoping Report has also been published for consultation, to provide an early opportunity to identify the key issues that the Local Plan should consider. It asks whether we have identified the right issues and evidence, and how we should assess the potential impacts of different options as the Plan develops. Representations on this document can be made under question 7 of the consultation.
Call for Sites
We are also inviting developers, landowners or other interested parties to identify sites considered to be suitable for future development through a Call for Sites. This will enable the council to have an up-to-date understanding of any available land in the borough which may be suitable for development.
A Local Plan sets the planning policy framework for its area, guiding future growth and change. The council’s current Local Plan was adopted in 2016 and is being updated to ensure there is a planning framework in place for the area that is effective and deliverable, reflects current national planning guidance, supports local priorities, and meets future needs.
The new Local Plan will set out how development will be planned and delivered across the borough. It will set a strategy for the location, scale and type of future development, together with locally specific planning policies that will be used alongside national decision-making policies in the determination of planning applications.
Once adopted, it will replace the current Local Plan and, together with the borough’s made neighbourhood plans, will form part of the development plan for the area. A Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) will also form part of the development plan for the area. This new document, which will be produced at a Hampshire wide level by Hampshire and the Solent Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA) over the next few years, will set out strategic planning policies across the wider geography, helping to coordinate growth, infrastructure and environmental priorities.
It is important that the area has an up-to-date Local Plan to ensure a plan-led approach to change that meets local needs and reflects local issues and ambitions. Once adopted, it will guide development in a sustainable manner, directing growth to appropriate locations, supported by the necessary infrastructure, and delivered to high standards. In doing so it will support the council’s commitments arising from its Climate Emergency and Ecological Emergency Declarations. It will also enable the council to restore and maintain its five-year housing land supply.
The council, together with local communities, businesses, infrastructure providers and other stakeholders, has been working for a number of years to prepare a new Local Plan for the borough. This has included the development of an evidence base to underpin the plan and the completion of three stages of public consultation: an Issues and Options consultation, followed by two more detailed consultations (known as Regulation 18 consultations) on a full draft Local Plan in 2024 and an updated draft spatial strategy in 2025/26. The council has recently published a summary of representations made in response to the last Draft Local Plan Regulation 18 consultation 2025 which ended earlier this year.
However, whilst the council remains committed to producing a plan as quickly as possible, the evidence base and most recent consultation identified significant concerns regarding the capacity and long-term resilience of the water supply network serving large parts of the borough. The need to explore this issue has meant that the council has been unable to proceed under the legacy planning system and the Local Plan will now need to be prepared under the new system. This is a frustrating position and the council is keen to ensure that the new plan builds on the evidence and consultation outcomes already received. The council will also continue to work proactively with key partners, including South East Water, the Environment Agency and Natural England, to fully understand the implications of the constraints and identify a way forward. The evidence base and most recent consultation identified significant concerns regarding the capacity and long-term resilience of the water supply network serving large parts of the borough. The council is continuing to work closely with key partners, including South East Water, the Environment Agency and Natural England, to fully understand the implications of these constraints. In late August 2026, the Government responded to the MP for Basingstoke's concerns about water supply and the impact on the Local Plan timetable.
The new planning system introduces a 30-month plan-making process, comprising a series of stages and gateway assessments that authorities must complete.
Local Plan notice
The council published a notice of intention to commence the preparation of a new Local Plan on 9 October 2026.
Local Plan timetable
The council published a Local Plan timetable on 9 October 2026, in line with the government’s requirement for the 30-month local plan process.
Local Plan evidence
A number of evidence base documents support the evolving plan, covering a variety of issues from landscape impact to water quality. View the published documents online.
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For further information on how your data will be used please read our Privacy Notice Basingstoke and Deane is the data controller for the personal information you provide on the form on CiviQ. You can contact the council by phone on 01256 844844 or by writing to us at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Civic Offices, London Road, Basingstoke, RG21 4AH. The council’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted at dpo@basingstoke.gov.uk.
