Christopher Napier, who leads the South Downs and Central Group, was joined by Caroline Dibden, Graham Tarbuck (representing the New Cheriton area) and Connie Leach from Oliver's Battery for the meeting in central Winchester.
The MP recognised the need for a more strategic approach to planning across the county of Hampshire, and gave his support in principle to CPRE's new Hampshire Strategic Vision but pointed out that as it would not be implemented by CPRE action it would depend on the attitude of HCC and related District councils to successfuly implement.
The meeting also discussed the Government's Housing White Paper which CPRE said contains many features which accord with their views, and indeed are largely the result of CPRE work at national level over a long period - as recognised by Gavin Barwell, the former Planning Minister.
Speaking after the meeting, Steve Brine said; "We agreed that the housing market is broken and that the main need is to build many more homes of a type and size which would be attractive and more affordable to the younger generation now largely excluded from the housing market, rather than more of the executive homes beloved of the housebuilders.
"However, the CPRE were very clear with me that the proposed method of assessing need perpetuates the myth that simply building more houses in areas of high housing prices will somehow improve affordability. They set out for me how the evidence from Australia, Ireland and the UK belies this outcome.
"I was keen, as always, to highlight Conservative run Winchester City Council's New Homes Programme which is building new homes - that are genuinely affordable - on largely brownfield land. We must build more homes but we cannot do that at the expense of our greenfields in Hampshire or our greenbelt elsewhere in England.
"As ever, the CPRE are among the most professional and well briefed lobbyists I meet and it's always worth my time to listen to what they have to say."
The meeting also discussed a particular concern of CPRE which is the proposed increase in housing numbers combined with the proposal (in both the Housing White Paper and the OAN consultation) that Local Plans will be considered out of date after 5 years from adoption and will lead to speculative applications by developers claiming lack of a 5 year supply based on the new OAN assessment (which is proposed to apply immediately where Plans are more than 5 years old).
Finally, the charity discussed with Mr Brine their welcome that many of the comments made by CPRE to the Preferred Options stage of the South Downs National Park Local Plan have been adopted in the Pre-submission version, now out for consultation, and that the plan as it stands has our strong support, with only limited issues to raise with SDNPA.
Pictured; Steve with Graham Tarbuck, Christopher Napier and Caroline Dibden. Photo by Connie Leach.
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