RESIDENTS in the borough have just a few more days to have their say on a document that outlines where homes will be built in Basingstoke in the next 15 years.

The consultation for the latest round of public comments on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s draft Local Plan ends on Friday.

Planning chiefs at the borough council invited residents to provide comments on the draft Local Plan between April 25 and June 13 before it is submitted to the Government for approval.

As previously reported by The Gazette, no new housing sites have been added to the draft plan, and councillors from the borough council have decided to stick to a previously-agreed annual housing figure of 748 new homes per year.

The borough council’s development control committee decided to go with the agreed figure of 748 despite a recommendation from council officers to increase the annual figure to 807 new homes per year in January.

Parts of the Local Plan have been revised in response to feedback, including changes to the boundaries and the number of homes that are proposed for the future housing development at Manydown.

The number of homes proposed for the Kennel Farm development, off the A30 Winchester Road, has increased from 250 to 310 homes after Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, overruled the wishes of councillors who wanted to reject a planning application from developer Wates.

The allocation of homes to be built on land to the east of Basingstoke, at Old Basing, has also been reduced from 900 to 450 homes.

The Local Plan, which has to be approved by a Government planning inspector, will guide decisions on all future planning applications. It also contains policies on where new homes and business premises will be permitted in addition to policies which will protect existing communities and the countryside.

Councillor Mark Ruffell, cabinet member for planning and infrastructure previously told councillors in March: “We live in a wonderful borough, and people want to stay living here when they grow up.

“We have a plan that links properly to our economic strategy and the borough’s vision for the future. It is not a developer’s plan, not a landowner’s plan but a plan for Basingstoke and Deane.”

A final decision on the Local Plan is not expected until Spring 2015.

For more information on the changes to the Local Plan, visit basingstoke.gov.uk/go/localplan.