The recent consultation for the new draft Local Plan has now closed. Energy Alton has submitted a response, which you can download here.

The Local Plan covers all of East Hampshire District that is outside the South Downs National Park – which includes Alton and much of the surrounding area. It includes a detailed section covering the Climate Emergency.

The Local Plan guides decisions on future development proposals – it sets out what the opportunities are for development in the area, and say what types of development will and will not be permitted and in which locations.  

East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) declared a Climate Emergency in 2019, and it’s incredibly important that local planning policies take this into account – especially around reducing the carbon impact of buildings and transport.  For example, EHDC can require that new housing developments are built to minimise their carbon impact – such as insisting that new homes are built with heat pumps and solar panels.  

You can read the full draft Local Plan here – the section on the Climate Emergency starts at page 47.  
You can see the consultation website here (which has now closed for comments) and there is more info on EHDC’s website here.