Damian Hinds MP released the following statement today:
“EHDC is right to have sought a legal basis to disaggregate housing target numbers between the parts of the district inside and outside the National Park. As around 26% of existing East Hants housing is in the SDNP, EHDC will also assume that 26% of East Hants’s total future housing target will be for the National Park Authority to cover. That would leave a target for outside the Park of around 830 homes a year, rather than 1,100. The National Park Authority still has a right to request EHDC to take more of their share, and under ‘Duty to Cooperate’ obligations EHDC would be legally obliged to enter into discussions in good faith. But I believe that growing settlements inside and outside the National Park proportionately is the fair and right way to do it.
“But there have also been requests from other nearby councils for East Hampshire to take on some of their housing requirements. EHDC will consider these in good faith as it is bound to do. But in my view, it is not viable for our area to take on further large numbers of houses from elsewhere. While many councils have been given higher targets by the new government, East Hampshire’s increase is particularly high: it has doubled. We all recognise that we need more homes, especially homes affordable and accessible to local families. But being required by the new target to add so many thousands of homes over the next couple of decades, already threatens the character of our area and puts strain on infrastructure and services. We cannot take on further large numbers from neighbouring boroughs.
“The root problem is the unreasonably and unrealistically high level of the target we’ve been set by the government."
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