Updating the Ropley Parish Neighbourhood Plan

Why is the Neighbourhood Plan important?

Neighbourhood Plans have legal status: local councils and planning inspectors must make their planning decisions on the basis of the policies contained in the Neighbourhood Plan. Without a current one we are more at risk of over-development and will be less able to influence change in our area.

What does the current Neighbourhood Plan say?

You can read the current Ropley Neighbourhood Plan here

Neighbourhood Plan update progress: February 2026

In 2025 the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group updated our current plan and ran a public consultation with the intention of having it adopted in 2026.  When this process started our updated plan complied with local and national planning policies and our allocated housing targets and would have ‘dovetailed’ into the new East Hampshire District Council Local plan.  

Since our public consultation process a number of changes to policy and housing targets have been announced.  Firstly funding for Neighbourhood Plans has been withdrawn.  Housing targets for East Hampshire have been dramatically increased and the December 2025 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has changed the plan making process and, if approved, may weaken the influence of Neighbourhood Plans.  

The new NPPF sets out a clear hierarchy of decision making and influence.  Local Plans must comply with the new national policy and Neighbourhood Plans must comply with Local Plans.  Neighbourhood Plans cannot duplicate policies in the Local plan. 

The Neighbourhood plan update is therefore “on hold” until East Hampshire publish their revised Local plan and there is clarity on housing numbers for Ropley and more certainty on what policies we can include.  

Last updated March 2026