ALTHOUGH Basingstoke features in the Doomsday Book as a small market town of 200 people, in the past 50 years we have grown massively. Whilst other corners of the country have not met their housebuilding responsibility, we have excelled, building at double the average rate of other boroughs; 150,000 new homes in 50 years, or 3,000 homes a year. In tangible terms, that equates to a community almost twice the size of Overton every year.  

Our town is steeped in history. It’s the home of Jane Austen and Charles Butler, the father of bee-keeping, and the scene King Alfred’s defeat of the Danes and the civil war siege of Basing House. However, the population boom and the rapid expansion of housebuilding also make Basingstoke a relatively modern town, but now with an increasingly ageing population. In fact, we are the 27th fastest-aging population in the country. This has predictable effects, not least an increased demand for public services, particularly the health service, with demand for GP services in Basingstoke increasing by a third in the past 20 years. 

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I have long argued that these demographic pressures, combined with high historic housebuilding levels mean we can’t continue to build at the same rate in the future. Our local services, especially our NHS, must be given the opportunity to catch up with increases in demand. £900m is now ring-fenced for a new hospital which will be completed by 2023 and GP surgeries are working hard to change their ways of working to accommodate more patients. However, housebuilding must be slowed down until these changes are delivered. It is not realistic for Basingstoke to continue to position itself as the place that will selflessly compensate for the massive shortfall in house building in other communities.  

My first speech in the House of Commons, 18 years ago was on this very topic and I have been campaigning on these issues ever since. Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, recently confirmed to me in writing that he “want[s] to recognise that some areas have historically over-delivered on housing – but they are not rewarded for this.’’ In his letter he explains that the Government will “allow local planning authorities to take this [high historic housebuilding] into account when preparing a new local plan, lowering the number of houses they need to plan for.’’  But our local planning authority, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has to grasp this opportunity, to make their case to the Planning Inspector through our local plan, to slow down house building in line with what our community needs, not just continuing with what has happened in the past; making the case for Basingstoke and what's in the best interests of local residents. That is why I find the council's recently published proposal regrettable, it simply puts forward a further ratcheting up of house building. This isn't what Basingstoke needs and it's not what residents want. Elected members must unite and throw out these proposals, by calling for Basingstoke's 'special circumstances' to be properly taken into account.

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Reiterating this new approach to historically over-delivered housing, the then Minister for Housing and Planning, Lucy Frazer, confirmed to me on the record in the House of Commons, that ‘’it should be taken into account if areas have already over-delivered and taken significant housing.’’ 

National government and local MPs like me help planning authorities like Basingstoke and Deane to clarify the planning rules with Government, but it is borough councillors who actually decide the approach to be taken. It is up to them whether we remain with the status quo or demand that the concerns of residents are listened to and proposed house building are levels cut to reflect what our community actually needs. 

Basingstoke is almost unique in having built so many new homes in the past five decades. It will take guts to stand up to the constant pressure from developers, officials and pressure groups but I believe our borough councillors could unite and throw out the current administration's approach which would see a ratcheting up of house building. Our elected councillors can challenge the status quo, and cut house building to take into account the special circumstances we face. It is squarely in their power – to slow down housebuilding to allow our local services to catch up.