COUNCIL chiefs have been urged to look at ‘hard data’ when producing the local plan for Basingstoke and Deane, instead of using data which will be 15 years old when it is published.

The borough council’s cabinet agreed on Tuesday last week to continue to develop an ‘exceptional circumstances case’ to prevent 17,820 new homes being built in the borough by the end of 2039, as Government calculations have indicated.

Independent councillor Paul Harvey said the data currently being used is “13 years old and the rest of it is projections”, which he said will “not stand up to any reasonable scrutiny”.

During the meeting he urged councillors to instead use data from the 2021 Census which will become available in May, alongside the Chelmer Model which provides detailed demographic and housing projections.

Cllr Harvey said: “An inspector in 2024 looking at our local plan, if we do not change track now, would be faced by the standard method, by then [using data] 15 years out of date. We say we should follow a new approach with new methodology calculated based on actual figures.

“We could seize the initiative, act ourselves and that is exactly what our residents want.”

He added: “You can't make an exceptional case if the data you are basing it on is so wildly out of date. You need to change the course now, to build a coherent case for alternative numbers.”

Cllr Harvey raised concern that if the council continue to use the current data it could be “held hostage by developers”.

Leader of the council Simon Bound said: “I will continue to repeat that it is ridiculous that the five-year land supply test currently ignores our past high delivery rates and the eye watering number of planning permissions that have already been given. This is simply wrong.”

He continued: “I whole heartedly agree with our residents we’ve had enough of the high octane, build, build, build mentality. It is now time to be more considered around what gets built where and why.

“We fully accept that we need to continue to build homes and we need to do this in a planned way, therefore it would be irresponsible not to continue shaping future policies for the Basingstoke and Deane Local Plan Update and meet the deadlines set out to achieve this.

“However, alongside this, we also need to make it very clear to everyone that the past delivery of homes is not sustainable for future years and is not right for our borough.”

Cllr Bound called on the Government to make changes to the way housing numbers are calculated. He said: “I call on Michael Gove the Secretary of State to abolish the central formula and give planning inspectors the direction to take into account local constraints. As there is scant evidence, they have been doing this with other recently submitted plans from across the country. Which means planning inspectors are not following the wishes of Westminster and Central Government. This must change.”