You may be aware that the High Court on 10 November 2010, ruled that the Government acted unlawfully in revoking Regional Strategies in July this year. This means that the South East Plan is reinstated with immediate effect. Advice from the Government’s Chief Planning Officer on 10 November reaffirmed that the Government remains committed to localism and to abolishing Regional Plans. The Localism Bill is expected to be published in late November 2010 which will outline these proposals, but as with all legislative procedures it will take some time to become law.

The Council developed Blueprint to get local communities debating local development requirements in the future. Blueprint remains critical to the Council in developing an understanding of the local needs and aspirations of the many communities which make up the Winchester District. The Council intends to continue the Blueprint process so as to establish local needs which it will then seek to translate into planning policy through the LDF Core Strategy. We continue to urge local groups and Parish Councils to participate in Blueprint and respond by the deadline of 10 December 2010.


Draft Infrastructure Study

Over the last year, Winchester City Council has been talking to service providers such as the Highways Agency, Education Services, National Health Service and Water Companies about what issues they have in providing their services for the District and what are their future long-term plans. This is particularly important given the need to plan for new development and to ensure that such development is accompanied by the right services at the right time.

To bring all this information together, the City Council has produced a draft Infrastructure Study which is now published for consultation and can be viewed on our website using the following link: www.winchester.gov.uk/infrastructurestudy

Please ensure your comments are returned to the Strategic Planning Team via LDF@winchester.gov.uk by 07 January 2011.