Council invites residents to time travel!

Borough residents are being asked to take a trip into the future by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council as it continues its journey to create a blueprint for how the borough will grow and change in the future.

Civic leaders, the heads of some of the borough’s key organisations and community groups have been discussing how the borough must change and adapt to ensure its future success. Now they want to know what the people of Basingstoke and Deane think about the ideas produced so far.

Residents are being asked to say how important they rate possible improvements such as a country park, a new train station at Chineham or more education facilities?

The answers to these questions and more will help the borough council and its partners to develop a plan for how the borough will grow and change over the next 20 years (up to 2026). The plan will cover employment sites, educational facilities, transport infrastructure and the need for housing, as well as retail, cultural and leisure facilities.

The council and its partners have undertaken lots of research and commissioned reports to understand what is needed now and in the future. They have used this to create a draft vision of what the borough could be like in the future by 2026:

In 2026 Basingstoke and Deane’s people, communities, and businesses will be flourishing and enjoying an excellent quality of life which has been improved by well planned growth and a positive attitude to change. Regenerating our towns and estates, and enriching the character of our villages and outstanding countryside will support Basingstoke as a major vibrant centre, leading the north Hampshire agenda and fulfilling an influential role in the region.

This summer and throughout early September, the council is carrying out research with residents to get a better idea of their priorities for the future. The council has produced a guide for all councillors, parish councils and community groups and forums in the borough explaining about the vision and planning for the future. A questionnaire called ‘focussing on our future’ for residents to indicate what is important to them is available at www.basingstoke.gov.uk/planning/ldf or call 01256 844 844 for a copy.

Cabinet member for Planning and Infrastructure Cllr Rob Golding said: “This is another step in a long process which will produce a framework for the future development of Basingstoke and Deane. A lot more work and planning still needs to be done. But we want the residents of the borough to have a say now as important decisions are starting to be made which will affect all our communities and neighbourhoods.”

“There will be more opportunities for the public to have their say on the ideas and plans as they are developed by the council and its partners.”

The outcomes of this consultation will help council officers to draft a preferred approach for the main planning blueprint for the borough called the Local Development Framework. This will set out a long-term approach for planning in the borough. Then at the end of this year the council will be asking the residents of Basingstoke and Deane if they think this is the right approach.