Neighbourhood Plan

Fleet’s Plan

Fleet has been recognised nationally as a great place to live and is highly valued by its residents, but it has been placed under significant development pressure in recent years with major new estates in Fleet and the surrounding areas.

Fleet was given the opportunity to develop a Neighbourhood Plan as a result of the Localism Act of 2011. Neighbourhood planning is a government initiative to give communities power to develop a shared vision for their neighbourhood and shape the development and growth of their local area over the coming years.

Fleet Town Council started developing a Neighbourhood Plan in 2018 and following a successful Referendum, Hart District Council adopted the Neighbourhood Plan as part of its Development Plan at a meeting on 28 November 2019.

Producing a Plan for Fleet has enabled us to have a say on housing development and design, employment opportunities and green space. It also allowed us to create a vision for our town that will serve the whole community young and old, new to the area or established resident.

Fleet’s Neighbourhood Plan is made of 19 Policies – summaries of which you can find further down this page along with the plan in full.

Fleet Neighbourhood Plan – Documents:

Policy Summaries

As part of the referendum we created a summary of the 19 Policies contained within the Neighbourhood Plan – so if you’d like to find out more this may be a good starting point.

Policy 1 – Fleet Civic Quarter

This policy provides a guidance framework for any future redevelopment of the land currently occupied by Hart District Council Offices, The Harlington, Fleet Library and the car parks in Gurkha Square and Victoria Road.

Policy 2 – Land between Victoria Road and Gurkha Square

This policy supports the development of the area of Fleet Road that sits between Victoria Road and Gurkha Square provided that any planning applications are for suitable town centre uses and enhance the vitality of the town centre.

Policy 3 – Land on the corner of Reading Road North and Fleet Road

This policy supports the redevelopment of the land on the junction of Reading Road North and Fleet Road provided that the size and scale of any proposals add value to this area as a key gateway to the town.

Policy 4 – Land off Harlington Way

This policy provides guidance for the redevelopment of the two land parcels either side of the Harlington Way junction with Reading Road North.

Policy 5 – Leisure and Night Time Economy

This policy supports the leisure offering in this area that consists of a broad range of restaurants, cafes and cultural/recreational activities.

Policy 6 – Fleet Core shopping area

This policy supports new or extended retail development in the core shopping zone provided that it does not harm the existing retail character, is in keeping and has no adverse impact.

Policy 7 – Fleet Road between 151 Fleet Road and Kings Road Junction

This policy supports redevelopment that is in harmony with the surrounding buildings and enhances the “gateway” character of this area as an entrance to the high street.

Policy 8 – Land at Albert Street

This policy supports developments on the Northwest side of the road, where these add to the street scene, improve the access available to service Fleet Road premises and respect the residential amenities.

Policy 9 – Fleet Road Public Realm

This policy covers the public areas along Fleet Road and supports, where possible, development that improves the movement of pedestrians and cyclists around the town centre, ‘greens’ Fleet Road and improves shop and office frontages.

Policy 10 – General Design Management Policy

This policy supports development plans that demonstrate integration with neighbouring properties, and that reinforce high quality design and local distinctiveness. The policy also supports landscaping to provide for biodiversity and helping manage surface water runoff. This policy sets out 6 different “Character Areas” in Fleet.

Policy 11 – Safeguarding Bungalow Stock

This policy seeks to maintain the stock of bungalows within the Fleet Town Council area to serve the needs of the increasing ageing population and those with limited mobility.

Policy 12 – Buildings of Heritage and Townscape Value

This policy lists a number of buildings and structures which have local heritage and/or townscape value for Fleet. It supports their conservation and enhancement and requires any development proposals for extensions or modification to be in keeping with the original building.

Policy 13 – Local Green Space

The Policy designates 14 open areas as Local Green Spaces and states that proposals for housing or other inappropriate developments on those areas will not be supported other than in very special circumstances.

Policy 14 – Basingstoke Canal Conservation Area

This policy supports development in this Conservation Area so long as it is in accordance with other statutory local policies and is of a scale and design that reinforces the locally distinctive character of the area.

Policy 15 – Residential Gardens

This policy supports the retention of mature gardens that encourages wildlife and soft landscaping that reduces flooding such as only support front garden development for parking that retains at least 50% soft landscaping.

Policy 16 – Conservation in the North Fleet Conservation Area

This policy seeks to preserve or enhance the special character of the conservation area.

Policy 17 – Thames Basin Heath Special Protection Area Mitigation

This policy states that any development will include measures to avoid and mitigate any adverse effects on the TBHSPA in agreement with Hart District Council and Natural England.

Policy 18 – Cycling Network

This policy supports proposals to create new cycle routes that connect Fleet Town Centre to community assets.

Policy 19 – Residential Parking

This policy states that all new development should provide adequate off-street car parking that does not impact on
highway safety and accessibility and that meets the current Hart District Council parking standards for the number of
spaces provided.