Background

In July 2020 New Forest District Council adopted a new Local Plan. This determines where housing will be built across the council area until 2036, with 10,420 homes needed over the Local Plan period. Allocating homes through the Local Plan allows the council, service providers and others to ensure that supporting services for new residents are built into long term plans for new homes, meaning that developments will be sustainable for the future. 

The land at Milford Road has been allocated for 185 homes in the Plan, with 140 on the south side of Milford Road. In March 2023 we achieved Outline planning permission for our portion of the site allocation for up to 110 homes.

Currently we are working up detailed Reserved Matters plans for 90 homes at this stage, as shown in the Google extract plan. The remaining portion of the SS5 allocation, shown in blue on the same plan, will be progressed by others.

The proposed development is also covered by Lymington and Pennington Neighbourhood Development Plan, which is still in development at this time. We have engaged with the Town Council on their emerging plan, so that our proposals can reflect the wishes of local people.

There is a pressing need for new homes in Pennington and the wider New Forest as a lot of people who work in the New Forest are unable to live there. This is due to a shortage of affordable homes and the fact that the New Forest is the most expensive National Park in which to buy a property, according to the Nationwide Building Society.

Our proposals will deliver 50% (45) affordable homes distributed across the site. There will be a mixture of shared ownership (14), affordable rent (15) and social rent (16). We are consulting with the housing officer on the mix and tenure which shall be agreed as part of the Reserved Matters application.

You can find out more about the Local Plan here and the Neighbourhood Plan here.