Proposed Modifications Consultation

What’s happening?

Winchester City Council submitted its Local Plan (Regulation 19) and Policies Map to the Secretary of State for independent examination in November 2024. The Plan sets out how land across the District could be used for new homes, jobs, and community needs, and includes policies on design, climate change, transport, and heritage. 

Have your say on the proposed main modifications via our online consultation or scroll down for more details.

What you will see

On the consultation platform you will see three tiles for the consultation – the Main Modifications (MM) consultation, the Additional Minor Modifications and the Changes to the Policies Map. Please click on ‘Go to Event’ on the relevant tile.

The consultation will show you the chapters of the Local Plan with the relevant MM number on the left hand side and the Main Modification document on the right hand side.

For each chapter, you will see the Main Modifications presented in a table. The first column is the Main Modification reference number, the second column is the proposed modification to the plan and the third column is the reason for the change.  Additions to the Plan are indicated using bold and underlined text and deletions are shown using strikethrough.

Above each Main Modification table you can click ‘add comment’ if you wish to comment on that MM. Once you have added your details you answer the questions on each Main Modification you wish to comment on.

Independent examination

An independent Planning Inspector, R. Barrett MRTPI IHBC, has been reviewing the Local Plan to check whether the Plan meets the Duty to Cooperate, follows legal and procedural requirements, and is sound (positively prepared, justified, effective, and consistent with national policy).

Public hearing sessions took place in April, May, and June 2025. After these sessions, the Inspector advised that some changes called Main Modifications are needed before the Local Plan can be approved. Further details about the hearing sessions and examination can be found here, and information on previous consultations are available here.

What are the Proposed Main Modifications?

The Proposed Main Modifications are changes suggested by the Inspector to ensure the Local Plan is sound and legally compliant. They are put forward without prejudice to the Inspector’s final conclusion which will take into account all representations received during this consultation.  These modifications are now open for public consultation.

We are consulting on one main document: Schedule of Proposed Main Modifications includes details of each proposed changes within the Local Plan.

Supporting Documents:

- Winchester Local Plan Examination Housing Revisions (November 2025) Note and Appendix A housing table figures

- Winchester Local Plan Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) Main Modifications which includes the Sustainability Appraisal (SA/SEA) of the Proposed Main Modifications which assess the environmental and social effects of the Plan.

- Winchester Local Plan Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) Main Modifications which assesses the impacts on protected wildlife sites.

While these documents are not open for direct comment, any concerns relating to their content should be raised through comments on the respective Main Modification.

Additional Modifications

Additional Modifications which include a number of minor changes to correct typographical errors and minor factual updates, are not before the Local Plan Inspector for consideration.  In view of this, the Council is not anticipating any comments on these but if deemed necessary, please include any comments in the appropriate Additional Modifications consultation box in the online portal.  Any comments that are submitted on the Additional Modifications will be reviewed by the Council and not the Inspector.   

The Additional Minor Modifications document can be viewed here.

Policies Map changes

Proposed changes to the Policies Map Modifications will not be examined by the Inspector. If you wish to make a comment, please address this through the Schedule of Proposed changes to the Local Plan Policies Map consultation. This sets out the proposed changes to the Policies Map arising due to main modifications and other minor revisions. 

The Proposed changes to the Polcies Map document can be viewed here.

Please Note: These consultations are strictly limited to comments on the Modifications that are proposed. Comments on other aspects of the submitted Local Plan or re-submissions of previous comments will not be accepted, as these have already been reviewed by the Planning Inspectorate during the Examination.

Where can I view hard copies of the Proposed Modifications?

Please refer to the table below for locations where paper copies of the consultation documents are available.

*City Council Bank Holiday Opening Hours:

Please be aware that there will be office closures over the Christmas period. Details of these closures will be available on our website closer to the time

**Bank Holiday information on Hampshire Library Opening Hours

When does the public consultation starts?

The consultation is open from Friday 21^st November 2025 until 11:59pm on Friday 16^th January 2026.

How to take part in the public consultation?

Please use the link or scan the QR Code below to access the public consultation portal:

https://www.winchester.gov.uk/main-modifications-consultation

If you are unable to access the portal, please contact us at PlanningPolicy@Winchester.gov.uk or at the city council offices.

Any personal data you provide will be handled by Winchester City Council in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018

What happens next?

Once the consultation closes, all responses will be sent to the Inspector to consider before the Local Plan Inspector completes their final report.

Further information on the Proposed Modifications Consultation is set out on the FAQ and Statement of Representation Procedure.