Background
In 2021, New Alresford Town Council (NATC) considered updating the New Alresford
Design Statement (2008). Instead, the decision was made to embark on a
Neighbourhood Plan—a more robust and statutory planning policy tool shaped by
residents and stakeholders. Once adopted, a Neighbourhood Plan helps guide
development while preserving the town’s heritage, identity, and sense of place.
An application to initiate the Neighbourhood Plan process was submitted to and
approved by Winchester City Council (WCC).
Phase 1
NATC engaged Troy Planning in July 2021 to support the development of the plan
(Resolution 21/159). Troy’s proposal included support for the following stages of the
process;
• Stage 1 – Review & Familiarisation
• Stage 2 – Evidence, Vision & Objectives
• Stage 3 – Plan Writing
• Stage 4 – Revising & Consulting
Examination Support and Technical Reports were not included in this proposal.
Additionally, it is important to note that Troy Planning’s original fee proposal did not
include detailed work on site allocations, heritage, public realm, employment, or
transport.
The proposal for £39,437.50 (See Table 1) was approved (Resolution 21/160) and a
Neighbourhood Plan Advisory Group was formed, comprising three councillors and five
residents. Both the inception meeting and the first community consultation identified
key areas of interest for residents, including:
• Housing allocation
• Employment
• Heritage
• Public realm
• Local green spaces
• Views
• Design
• Transport
To support the project, NATC applied for grant funding from Locality/Ministry of
Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). The grant application process
was thorough, requiring detailed submissions and independent approval by the
MHCLG, and we successfully secured grant funding of £17,187.10. At the end of each
financial year, NATC was required to report on how the funds had been used.
In addition to grant funding, NATC successfully applied for several technical support
packages, which were delivered by AECOM at no cost to the Council:
• Housing Needs Assessment
• Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
• Technical Site Options and Assessment
• Masterplanning
• Design Codes
• Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) – Not delivered.
In September 2024, the Council undertook a review of the project’s progress, and
funding. The Council noted that the budget for Advisory Committee Meetings had been
exceeded by £2,044.00 and agreed to focus on these costs going forward.
Net expenditure on Phase 1 was £17,417.08. This represents an underspend of
£22,020.42
Phase 2
In September 2024, the Council requested a revised project forecast. A revised
proposal from Troy was considered and approved by the Council.
This proposal was for £41,500 to complete Stages 1 to 4 (Resolution 24/061) plus an
estimated cost of £5,950 for Examination Support. The total Phase 2 budget is £47,450.
The expenditure at the end of Q1 FY 2025/26 was £20,806. The Council holds £26,644 in
the Neighbourhood Plan earmarked reserve.
NATC was successful in securing all the technical support packages it applied for. By
March 2025, all technical reports had been completed – except for the Habitats
Regulations Assessment (HRA).
However, at the start of the 2025/26 budget year, Central Government withdrew all
Neighbourhood Plan funding and technical support from Locality. This impacted Aecom
support and the production of the HRA. This has created an additional funding
challenge.
Throughout the process, NATC has prioritised alignment with WCC’s Local Plan, which
itself underwent independent examination in 2025. This has contributed to the delay in
reaching Regulation 14, which is now anticipated in spring/summer 2026.
Due to the environmental sensitivity of several proposed sites, statutory consultees—
including AECOM, the Environment Agency, WCC Landscape, English Heritage, and the
South Downs National Park—have all emphasised the critical importance of obtaining a
Habitats Regulations Assessment.
Hampshire Highways has advised that it will not provide comments on development
proposals until Regulation 14 is reached. WCC faced a similar issue with its Local Plan
and commissioned a separate access report to address transport concerns.
It is important to note that neither the HRA nor a Transport Review (access report) was
included in the original project costing. However, both documents are essential to
ensure that informed decisions can be made about site allocations at Regulation 14.
Along with the reports already completed by AECOM and Troy Planning, they will form a
robust evidence base for the Neighbourhood Plan’s independent examination.
The project financial reports by Phase/Stage and by Phase/Financial Year can be found under the New Alresford neighbourhood plan page of the website.