THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT THE WINCHESTER DISTRICT: We’ve asked Government and neighbouring councils to support a collaborative way forward for Local Plan development.

Earlier this week our Cabinet called for greater clarity from Government to be able to plan effectively for the new Mid Hampshire Council area, given the significant changes to councils brought forward by Local Government Reorganisation.  

We adopted our Local Plan 2040 in March 2026, against the backdrop of new planning legislation requiring our next Local Plan preparation to begin immediately, and to a 30-month timetable.

We’re committed to ensuring that the district continues to benefit from an effective and up-to-date Local Plan. However, since the Government announced planning policy reforms and a new Local Plan timetable for Winchester, it has also confirmed the reorganisation of councils across Hampshire which would replace the city council with a new Mid-Hampshire council covering the current council areas of Winchester, plus parts of Test Valley, the New Forest and East Hampshire in April 2028, which is before the 30-month Local Plan period.

In the absence of Government guidance for transitional arrangements and as we were legally required to, we published our Notice of Intention on 30 June 2026 for the current district boundary. Additionally, we are engaging with other Mid Hampshire councils to explore opportunities for collaborative or joint plan-making and shared evidence gathering for the proposed Mid Hampshire geography. This includes engagement with the councils in the proposed South-East Authority as, under the new plans, the parish of Newlands, currently in the Winchester district, would become part of this council.

Page last updated: Friday 3 July 2026