The Future of Hamble: Your Vision, Your Voice

Hamble Parish Council is looking to the future. We want to create a positive vision for the Hamble we want to see, build, and nurture together. While part of this exercise may involve considering how to prevent unwanted changes to our village, we want the focus to be on starting a conversation which ensures Hamble thrives for generations to come.

Let’s think beyond today and imagine what Hamble could look like in the years ahead. Here are the four main themes we want to explore:

1. How can we make Hamble a better place to live? What kind of village do we want to be? Do we want to be a bustling, vibrant community with new opportunities, or do we prefer a quieter, more traditional village feel? How do we strike a balance between growth and preserving the unique character of our village?
2. How can we make Hamble a better place to grow up and retire? Who will live here? What kind of community do we want to welcome? Will Hamble be a place for young families, retirees, or a mix of all ages? How can we ensure that there’s the right type of housing, services, and amenities to support everyone, from first-time buyers to those looking to downsize?
3. How can we make Hamble a better place to work? What businesses will be based here? Do we want to encourage local businesses and start-ups, create space for more shops, cafes, or services, or support industries that provide local employment? How do we build an economy that benefits both residents and business owners, while maintaining the character of our village?
4. How can we make Hamble a better place to relax and enjoy? What kind of environment do we want to create for future generations? How do we protect our green spaces, wildlife, and Foreshore? What steps can we take now to ensure that our environment is both sustainable and enjoyable for those who will live here in the future?

These are big, important questions, and they go right to the heart of what it means to live in Hamble. But they’re not questions that the Parish Council can answer alone – we want to hear from you, the people who know and love Hamble best.

How do we plan to do this?

Over the coming months, we want to explore these questions with you. We want to understand your views on:

• The environment: housing, space, transport, bio projects, climate
• Work: jobs, tourism, business
• Recreation: culture, clubs, sport, history, identity
• Public services: health, education, volunteering, community, police, fire/rescue, Hamble Lifeboat, coastguard
• Services and utilities: water, power, sewers, data, waste

Together, we’ll start from the position of what we want Hamble to become, then work out what we need to get us there.

This includes thinking about how areas like Hamble Airfield can be used to benefit the community. Although we recognise this isn’t our land to control, we want your input on how it could best serve Hamble, so we can start a conversation with the relevant stakeholders, including Eastleigh Borough Council as part of their review of the Local Plan.

How will this work in practice?

We plan to gather your thoughts, ideas, and feedback through:

• Running workshops on each of the 4 main themes which you can attend and contribute towards.
• Setting up working groups for the 4 themes, each led and co-ordinated by a HPC councillor, and made up of both councillors and residents.
• Inviting experts to speak and consult with the working groups regarding any issues or opportunities raised as being important to the village’s future.
• Surveying the Hamble community on the 4 main themes.
• Supporting the working groups with research into the areas of greatest importance to the village.

What happens after we gather your feedback?

Once we’ve gathered your ideas and feedback, we’ll use them to create a Parish Plan – a broad outline of our shared goals. From there, if needed, we’ll develop a Neighbourhood Plan. This is a more detailed, legally binding document that sets out what we want in terms of future development. The Neighbourhood Plan will have real power and influence over future planning decisions in Hamble.

What’s the difference between a Parish Plan, a Neighbourhood Plan and a Local Plan?

• Parish Plan: A non-binding, community-led document that sets out our vision and priorities for the future. It can be broad in scope and encompass everything that we want Hamble to become. It’s our way of saying, “This is what we want our village to be.”
• Neighbourhood Plan: A formal, legally recognised document that is used in the planning process. It gives us a real say (in certain matters) over how land is used, the type of homes built, and the overall shape of future development. Once adopted, planning authorities must take it into account when making decisions about housing developments and land use.
• Local Plan: The principal planning document for the area and is led by Eastleigh Borough Council. Local Plans set out the strategic priorities for the area; for example, the number of new homes and jobs needed in the area and requirement for infrastructure and facilities. It is important for Local Plans to refer to Neighbourhood Plan, and similarly for Neighbourhood Plans to refer to Local Plan policies.

How can you get involved?

If you care about the future of Hamble, now is the time to make your voice heard. Whether you want to see more green spaces, better transport, affordable homes for your children, or improved facilities, this is your chance to shape what Hamble looks like in the years to come. You can get involved by:

• Attending a workshop: dates/times to be confirmed shortly
• Joining a working group: we anticipate a minimum time commitment of 4-5 hours per month, for at least 6 months.
• Completing our surveys: keep an eye out for our surveys in the newsletter, social media, and on noticeboards.

Join us, share your ideas, and help us create a vision for Hamble that reflects the needs, dreams, and hopes of everyone who calls this village home. Your vision, your voice.

Get Involved – Together, We Can Shape the Future of Hamble!