Dear Editor,

I write with reference to the decision by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's cabinet to delay the Local Plan Update for a year.

The decision to hold the cabinet meeting on Tuesday 28th September, in the middle of the Labour Party Conference, on the day of the Leader's speech, was a cynical one. It meant that several of our group, myself included, were away in Liverpool, having committed to a conference whose date was set over a year ago. Moreover, the council does not allow hybrid Cabinet meetings, so none of us were able to make representations from Liverpool, despite the technology being operational and used for other meetings in the council (our Labour councillors routinely hold hybrid meetings).

The situation with the Local Plan is more nuanced than either the Conservative administration or the Independent councillors would have you believe. 

We have a desperate shortage of housing in Basingstoke, with around 5,000 people on the Housing Register waiting to be housed. We have lost our five-year supply. We risk having larger targets imposed by central government, especially if the 2021 census data is used.

But the emerging evidence strongly suggests we can not support 9,500 houses at Manydown South, plus a science park, warehousing, and a new hospital. 

READ MORE: Basingstoke and Deane local plan delayed over controversial housing numbers

A glance at the map shows just Pack Lane and the A30 providing transport links into the town centre for all these people. Both roads are already at or near capacity. The £20m Brighton Hill roundabout works is just for the existing build commitments at Longacre, Hounsome Fields and the golf course. The roundabout was at capacity before these were built, with regular rush hour queues stretching along Winchester Road to the next roundabout, and along Brighton Way as far as Barber Road.

Then there is the question of water capacity. While we might have enough underground to serve Basingstoke at present, the Climate Emergency will mean hotter and drier summers, with increased stress, especially in the Test Valley basin. With this year's hot summer not factored into the plans, and agricultural use - which will grow the fastest with increasing heat and dryness - not included at all, there is a risk of water rationing. Current consumption levels are over 110 litres per person per day. We could bring that down to 62 litres a day for new builds with grey water initiatives, but the Local Plan lacks the teeth to do this.

And then there is sewerage. Planning permission has been granted for 1,000 homes on the golf course, but only 250 can be built, as the two big mains serving Brighton Hill and Hatch Warren are already at capacity. The draft plan update merely states that the water companies have been asked and they're confident they can invest to cope with it. But their track record suggests otherwise, with record cases of raw sewage going into our rivers. The sort of investment we require, to stop raw sewage discharges completely, would require our water companies to be re-nationalised.

The sort of houses being proposed won't be just to suit the needs of Basingstoke residents, there will be a lot of very expensive houses out of the price range of local residents being bought by people from more affluent areas closer to London. If we wanted to meet the needs of our residents, we could build council houses, and use the Housing Register to ensure they're occupied by local people. But the current administration shows no signs of doing that, even though the revenue generated would dwarf the amount they're looking to get from buying the Premier Inn.

We don't just need a change of Local Plan. We need a change of council administration and a change of government.

Cllr Andrew McCormick

Labour, Brighton Hill

Leader, Basingstoke and Deane Labour Group