Consultations open until 5pm on Friday 20 November 2026
The council has launched a consultation asking for input into the first formal stage in preparing the Basingstoke and Deane Local Plan under the new planning 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 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.
The council appreciates that you may have already spent time commenting on the previous draft Local Plan over recent years. However, whilst we will use the past evidence base and consultation responses to inform this plan, the regulations dictate that we need to start from the first stage of the new process and that previously made representations cannot be carried over.
We therefore encourage you to re-engage with plan-making and let us know your views on what the new Local Plan should cover, at this early stage. It continues to be important that the borough has a strong planning framework in place, shaped by the people who live and work in it, to protect the borough from unsuitable development and create the kind of place we want.
Please note that there will be future consultations which will provide details of where growth is proposed, including site allocations. At this stage, please do not submit any site related comments as part of this Scoping Consultation as the council will only consider answers to the specific questions raised. If you would like to propose a new site for development then please respond to the Call for Sites.
The council published a notice of Scoping Consultation on 9 October 2026.
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.
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.
All of the above consultations will run for six weeks between 9 October and 20 November. Please respond by 5pm on 20 November 2026.
The documents are available to view below and on the council’s online consultation portal.
The documents can also be viewed at the Civic Offices in London Road, Basingstoke, from 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday.
They are also available at libraries during their opening hours (Basingstoke Discovery Centre, Chineham Library, Mortimer Library, Newbury Library, Overton Library, Tadley Library and Whitchurch Library). Copies can be made available to members of the public on request.
Online
View the Scoping Consultation and respond direct via the council’s consultation portal. Digital responses should be submitted through the consultation portal.
For help with registering on the portal view the video below
Paper
If you do not have access to the internet, consultation response forms are available at the Civic Offices or by calling 01256 844844. Please return the forms by post to: Local Plan, Civic Offices, London Road, Basingstoke, RG21 4AH or in person from 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday.
Using the consultation responses and evolving evidence work, the council will start to draw up a draft Local Plan. Further consultation will take place next summer, in line with the new 30-month plan-making process set nationally.
Basingstoke and Deane Local Plan 2026 to 2040 Scoping Consultation
Basingstoke and Deane Local Plan Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) Scoping Report
If you have any questions or require any of the consultation material in an alternative format (for example large print, Braille, audio, email, Easy Read and alternative languages), please contact the Planning Policy team by email at local.plan@basingstoke.gov.uk or call 01256 844844.
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