All Developments, Local Plan

New Local Plan Consultation

The consultation on the new Local Plan was delayed one week but has now started and will run until 7th December. The consultation documentation can be found on the Hart DC website and the main document describes topics in this sequence and invites comments in the following chapters:

  • Sections 1-4: Background to the new plan
  • Section 5: Development needs in Hart with respect to dwellings, gypsy/traveller sites, office space, industrial workspace and retail
  • Section 6: Vision for Hart
  • Section 7: Proposals for where the needed developments could be located
  • Section 8: Fifteen policies with respect to implementing these developments

Extent of Development
The proposals will result in a massive urbanisation of Hart as illustrated in the two figures below.
The first illustrates possible sites throughout Hart.
The second is an expanded version covering the more local area around Hook.

These maps show developments west of Hook (Owens Farm and greenfield at the end of Hop Garden) considerable expansion of Murrell Green south east in Winchfield and north west joining the north east Hook estate and extending round to the boundary with Rotherwick.

All sites that have been submitted to be considered for development are listed in Appendix 3 of Hart District Council’s document: https://placemaker.hart.urbanintelligence.co.uk/p/document/47/

The list includes each site’s address and, for residential sites, the number of proposed homes; for other sites, it gives the area of the proposed buildings.

Please look at the list. Note that not all sites will necessarily be selected for development, but Hook and Winchfield feature prominently, both in the number of sites being considered and in the potential number of new homes. This makes it particularly important for residents to review the proposals and have their say.

Should the Local Plan run to 2039 or 2044?
The consultation asks whether Hart’s new Local Plan should cover the period 2026–2039 or be extended to 2044. This is an important decision, as it will determine the overall number of homes for which the Council must identify land.

Hart is currently required to plan for 804 homes per year.

  • Plan period 2026–2039: This equates to 10,452 homes. With planning permission already granted for 1,751 homes, sites for a further 8,701 homes must be identified.
  • Plan period 2026–2044: This increases the total requirement to 14,472 homes, including a further 4,020 homes compared with the shorter plan period. After accounting for the 1,751 homes already granted permission, sites for a further 12,721 homes would be needed.

The consultation document states that the sites identified could provide around 17,000 homes, although not all could be completed before 2039. Some may also prove unsuitable following more detailed examination. The document says that, “broadly speaking”, the current estimate of homes that could be built on the available sites meets the requirement.

It also points out that some larger sites would take longer to build out and could be included in full if the plan period were extended to 2044.
 
A key question is how long the current requirement of 804 homes per year will remain valid? It cannot be assumed that this level of housing need will continue indefinitely. If it did, the cumulative effect of repeatedly planning for such high numbers could be the loss of vast areas of countryside across the country.
 
Option 1: Keep the plan period to 2039
A shorter plan period would mean planning for fewer homes now, leaving future housing needs and site choices to be reassessed in a subsequent Local Plan. There is concern that the current requirement of 804 homes per year may continue beyond 2039, potentially leading to repeated rounds of substantial development. Although housing targets can change, allocating sites in an adopted Local Plan can make those decisions difficult to reverse in practice. A shorter plan period would allow future housing needs and site choices to be reconsidered in a subsequent plan.
 
Option 2: Extend the plan period to 2044
Extending the plan period to 2044 would require provision for an additional 4,020 homes, based on the current annual housing requirement. However, a longer plan period could provide greater certainty and avoid the considerable cost and work of preparing another Local Plan earlier. It could also allow Hart to take a more strategic approach to development, with larger sites potentially able to fund and deliver infrastructure that smaller urban extensions, such as those around Hook, may struggle to support. A longer period would not, however, remove the need to ensure that housing and essential infrastructure are delivered early enough to support growing communities. However, if the housing requirement reduces after 2039, extending Hart’s Local Plan to 2044 could mean allocating land for more homes than are ultimately needed. Those allocations could be difficult to reverse once the Plan is adopted, potentially resulting in unnecessary development and the permanent loss of countryside.
 
What should residents consider?
The choice is between planning for a shorter period, leaving more scope to reassess future housing needs, or taking a longer-term approach that could support larger developments and infrastructure provision but would require planning for more homes now. Either way, the location, scale and timing of development, and the infrastructure provided alongside it, will be crucial. 
 
Understand ALL the details:
The main consultation document is available at https://placemaker.hart.urbanintelligence.co.uk/p/document/42/

Hart planners are holding drop-in sessions around the district and the session in Hook village is:
· Date: Thursday 12 November 2026
· Time: 12.30pm–7.30pm
· Venue: Elizabeth Hall, Raven Road, Hook

This is an opportunity for you raise queries, issues or concerns you have from looking at the consultation document, the displays at the drop-in session or the information in this email before you respond to the consultation.

We stress that the decisions made through this Local Plan will shape our communities for years to come. With Hart now needing to plan for at least 804 new homes every year, it is vital that residents make their views known. Please take that opportunity to have your say.
 
Responding to the Consultation
When responding to the Hart Local Plan (Proposed Plan Content and Evidence) you do not need any technical planning background to participate. The Council is seeking local knowledge, community perspectives, and feedback on choices facing the district.

There are 23 numbered consultation questions in total (Q1 to Q23). Crucially, you do not need to answer all 23 questions. Hart Council explicitly states that respondents can choose to answer only the specific questions or topic areas that are most relevant to them.

Deadline and How to Submit:

  • Consultation Deadline: Representations must be received by 11:59pm on Monday 7th December 2026.
  • Submission Channels:
    1. Online Portal (Preferred Method): Submit responses directly via [Hart Council’s online digital consultation platform) and see more guidance below
    2. By Email: Send comments to localplan@hart.gov.uk
    3. By Post: Mail hard-copy representations to: Hart District Council, Civic Offices, Harlington Way, Fleet, GU51 4AE.
  • (If responding by email/post, please ensure you indicate which questions you are answering)
  • Viewing Documents: Hard copies of consultation materials are accessible at the Civic Offices in Fleet and at town and parish council offices in Hook, Odiham, Hartley Wintney, Yateley, and Blackwater

Using the Online Portal to respond:
Access the consultation document here: https://placemaker.hart.urbanintelligence.co.uk/p/document/42/

This enables you to read the document AND the consultation questions interspersed within it. To answer the questions you must log in.

If you responded to the Scoping Consultation that Hart undertook in June, then you can use that log in. If you did not, then you will have to register and create a new log in. Sadly, you can’t use the log in credentials that you use to comment on planning applications.

The consultation requires you to submit the answer to questions individually. We recommend you ‘submit’ as you answer each question because if the web page closes (perhaps unexpectedly) before you have submitted the response, then the response is lost. This also allows you to start your response and continue/complete it later. You can update a response after submitting by just changing the response and the “Update” button automatically appears.

Don’t be put off if responding to this consultation feels a little daunting. Getting started is often the hardest part, but once you begin, you’ll find it’s much easier than you might think. Every response counts, so please take the time to have your say.


Hook Action Against Overdevelopment will be reviewing the consultation materials and providing further updates for residents.