The government told Winchester City Council the reorganisation pause is no reason to delay its next Local Plan. Your next chance to comment is 19 March 2027.
The government has told Winchester City Council that it cannot put its next Local Plan on hold while the future of Hampshire’s councils is reviewed. The council has now started the 30-month countdown to a finished plan.
The plan will set where new homes, jobs and infrastructure go across the district up to 2044. Residents will next be asked for their views from 19 March to 30 April 2027. The sites themselves come later, in a consultation due to open on 4 February 2028.
What the government said
In September the council asked the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government whether it could hold off. Its Strategic Director, Cheryl Headon, wrote on 9 September that it “would not be sensible” to start work that “could be abortive or inconsistent with the future geography of the area” (letter to MHCLG, 9 September 2026). We reported that request when the first consultation opened.
The answer came on 28 September from Joanna Key, the ministry’s Director General for Regeneration, Housing and Planning. The council has now published it on its letters to government page.
She noted that on 7 September the Secretary of State withdrew the reorganisation decisions for Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton, and paused the programme for review. Then she wrote:
“The pausing and review of the local government reorganisation programme is not a reason to delay plan-making. Authorities continue to be required to prepare their plan for their current local planning authority area, in line with timings set out in regulations. As such we do not intend to change the commencement dates for the new system of plan making.”
The letter adds that any future reorganisation decision “will benefit from having more developed local plans in place to build upon” (letter from MHCLG, 28 September 2026).
The clock started on 30 October
On Friday 30 October the council completed what the new system calls Gateway 1, a self-assessment confirming it has a timetable, a project plan and a finished scoping consultation. From that point it has 30 months to prepare and adopt the plan (Winchester City Council).
Councillor Jackie Porter, Cabinet member for place and the Local Plan, said the day was “a major milestone”, though “one of many in the process”. She said the council remained “committed to stopping speculative development”. She also said the council would consult on the plan’s policies, vision and aims next year.
The council’s self-assessment says the spatial strategy, meaning how development is spread across the district, “has not yet been developed” (Gateway 1 self-assessment). Options will be put out at the next stage. The council has commissioned these studies to inform it:
- a water cycle study
- an employment and town centre study
- a strategic housing market assessment
- a strategic flood risk assessment
- a Gypsy and Traveller assessment
- viability work
Land put forward in the council’s 2025 Call for Sites is part of the starting point.
When you can have your say
The council updated its timetable on 5 November (Local Plan timetable). The dates ahead have not moved since June.
| Stage | Date | Can residents comment? |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation on the plan's content and evidence | 19 March to 30 April 2027 | Yes, six weeks |
| Gateway 2, a planning inspector's advice on the draft | 4 January 2028 | No |
| Consultation on the full plan and its site allocations | 4 February to 31 March 2028 | Yes, eight weeks |
| Gateway 3, a final external check | 7 July 2028 | No |
| Submission for examination | 30 October 2028 | Through the examination |
| Adoption | 30 April 2029 | No |
The 2027 consultation will set out the plan’s vision, aims and the policy topics it will cover. The 2028 one is the one that names sites.
The update also records a change already made. The scoping consultation, advertised to close at 23:59 on 9 October, was extended to 12 October.
Who adopts it is still unclear
The council adopted its current plan, the Local Plan 2040, on 24 March 2026. The new plan covers the district outside the South Downs National Park, including the parish of Newlands.
The timetable page still says adoption in April 2029 would be considered “by the new Mid Hampshire Authority”. That authority came from the reorganisation decision the government withdrew on 7 September, and no replacement decision has been published. The page itself says the reorganisation and plan timetables “are currently not consistent”. The council says the timetable will change depending on talks about plan-making across the proposed Mid Hampshire area.
What it means for you
- Nothing to respond to today. The scoping consultation has closed and the next one opens on 19 March 2027.
- If you care where homes go, 2028 is the key year. Specific sites are not consulted on until the consultation due to open on 4 February 2028.
- You can be told when it opens. The council runs a sign-up list on its Local Plan website. Questions go to planningpolicy@winchester.gov.uk or 01962 840 222.
- Planning applications carry on as normal. They are decided against the adopted Local Plan 2040. Our planning applications page explains how to find and comment on them.
Have your say