Areas we cover

Selling Land in Hampshire

Four of Hampshire's district councils are below the 75% housing delivery line, and three more are close to it. Against that sit two National Parks, three National Landscapes, the Solent's protected coast and two of England's best-known chalk rivers, the Test and the Itchen. This page explains where land stands in each part of the county.

Hampshire at a Glance

Hampshire has eleven district and borough councils, which decide planning applications and prepare local plans, with Hampshire County Council responsible for roads, schools and minerals. Portsmouth and Southampton are separate unitary councils and are not covered in the table below. Inside the New Forest and South Downs National Parks, planning is decided by the National Park Authorities, not the districts.

Four councils below 75%. Gosport delivered 25% of the homes it needed in the Housing Delivery Test 2025, New Forest 48%, Fareham 60% and Test Valley 64%. Each is treated as having evidenced unmet housing need under national policy.
Three more below 95%. East Hampshire scored 79% and Havant 80%, so both have a 20% buffer added to their land supply. Basingstoke and Deane and Eastleigh scored 94%.
Strong delivery in the north east and Winchester. Rushmoor scored 176%, Winchester 174% and Hart 137%.
Nutrient neutrality across the south. New homes that drain to the Solent must not add to nitrogen levels in its protected harbours, and similar rules apply on the River Itchen and the Hampshire Avon.
Very little Green Belt. The only Green Belt in Hampshire is in the south west, around Ringwood and the edge of the New Forest district.

Council by Council

The table shows each council's result in the government's Housing Delivery Test 2025 and where its local plan stands, using the Planning Inspectorate's own monitoring data.

Housing delivery and local plan position of each council in Hampshire
Council	Housing Delivery Test 2025	Most recent strategic plan adopted	New plan progress
Basingstoke and Deane	94%Action plan	May 2016	No recent stage listed
East Hampshire	79%Buffer	May 2014	No recent stage listed
Eastleigh	94%Action plan	April 2022	No recent stage listed
Fareham	60%Below 75%: unmet need	April 2023	No recent stage listed
Gosport	25%Below 75%: unmet need	October 2015	New plan published for consultation, March 2026
Hart	137%	April 2020	No recent stage listed
Havant	80%Buffer	March 2011	New plan published for consultation, July 2026
New Forest	48%Below 75%: unmet need	July 2020	No recent stage listed
Rushmoor	176%	February 2019	No recent stage listed
Test Valley	64%Below 75%: unmet need	January 2016	No recent stage listed
Winchester	174%	March 2026	No recent stage listed

Sources: Housing Delivery Test: 2025 measurement, MHCLG, published 17 August 2026; Local plans: monitoring progress, Planning Inspectorate, August 2026, with later milestones we have checked on council and government websites marked "Checked". A Housing Delivery Test result below 75% means the council is treated as having unmet housing need under policy S5 of the NPPF. Local plans move quickly, so always check the council's own website for the latest position.

Fareham, Gosport, Havant and Eastleigh

These four councils sit around Portsmouth and Southampton on the Solent coast. Gosport has the lowest result in the county. It is a peninsula with almost no open land, so its unmet need matters mainly for the few fields on its edges. It published a new draft plan in March 2026. Fareham adopted its plan in April 2023 but delivered only 60% of its requirement. The new community of Welborne is planned north of the town. Havant published a new draft plan in July 2026 to replace a plan dating from 2011, and Eastleigh's plan was adopted in April 2022. In all four, the Solent nutrient rules and the gaps kept open between towns shape almost every site.

New Forest

The district council plans for the towns and villages around the edge of the National Park: Totton and the Waterside, Lymington, New Milton, Ringwood and Fordingbridge. Its plan was adopted in July 2020 and delivery is at 48%. The unmet need position applies to land the district council decides, which excludes the National Park. Outside the Park, the Green Belt around Ringwood and the Cranborne Chase National Landscape in the far west are the main constraints.

Test Valley and Winchester

Test Valley covers Andover in the north and Romsey in the south. Its plan dates from January 2016 and delivery has fallen to 64%, which gives well-located land on the edge of its towns and larger villages a clearer route. Winchester is at the other end of the scale at 174%, and adopted a new local plan in March 2026. A large part of the district lies in the South Downs National Park.

Basingstoke and Deane

Basingstoke has been one of the main growth towns in the South East since the 1960s, and large sites on its edges are still being built. Its plan was adopted in May 2016 and delivery is at 94%. The north of the borough, around Kingsclere and towards Newbury, lies in the North Wessex Downs National Landscape.

Hart and Rushmoor

Fleet, Hook and Yateley in Hart, and Farnborough and Aldershot in Rushmoor, are delivering well above target. Rushmoor is almost entirely built up or military land, and much of its recent growth has come from former army land at Aldershot. Here the route is through the plan, and the Thames Basin Heaths rules apply to most housing.

East Hampshire

East Hampshire covers Alton, Whitehill and Bordon, Horndean and Liphook, while Petersfield and the southern downs are within the South Downs National Park. Its current strategy dates from 2014 and delivery is at 79%, so the council has a buffer to find but is not below 75%.

What Shapes Planning in Hampshire

Nutrient Neutrality

Since 2019, Natural England has advised that new homes in parts of the Solent area should be nutrient neutral, because nitrogen from farmland and waste water is harming the protected harbours. In the Itchen catchment phosphorus is counted too, and the west of the New Forest district drains to the Hampshire Avon, where phosphorus is the issue. Developers buy mitigation credits from schemes that take farmland out of intensive use. That adds cost, and it can make a scheme slower, but it is now a known cost rather than a block. The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 allows Natural England to set up Environmental Delivery Plans, which developers pay into instead of arranging their own mitigation, and nutrients are among the first issues it is working on.

National Parks and National Landscapes

The New Forest and South Downs are National Parks, with the highest level of landscape protection. The North Wessex Downs cover the chalk hills in the north of the county, Cranborne Chase reaches into the far west of the New Forest district, and Chichester Harbour National Landscape takes in the eastern side of Hayling Island and the coast near Emsworth. Major development inside these areas is only allowed in exceptional circumstances, and land in their setting is judged on its effect on views and character.

Protected Heaths and Coast

In the north east, the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area means new homes in Hart and Rushmoor need Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) and a payment towards managing visitors. Along the Solent, new homes near the coast pay towards managing recreational pressure on the protected shoreline and its birds.

Flood Risk

The Test, Itchen, Meon, Hamble and Avon all run south to the coast, and the Loddon and Blackwater drain the north east towards the Thames. The chalk valleys are prone to groundwater flooding after long wet winters, which is not always obvious from the surface. On the coast, tidal flood risk affects parts of Hayling Island, Gosport and Lymington. Our guide to flood risk and development land explains the sequential test.

Gaps Between Settlements

South Hampshire is densely settled, and councils there use gap policies to stop towns such as Fareham, Stubbington and Gosport from merging. These are local policies rather than Green Belt, and they are weighed against housing need, which matters more where delivery is below 75%.

Where Growth Is Focused

Growth in Hampshire follows the M3 and the M27, and the South Western Main Line from London through Basingstoke, Winchester and Southampton. The Solent Freeport is bringing new jobs to the Waterside. The places we watch most closely are:

Area	Why it matters
Andover and Romsey	The main towns in Test Valley, which is below 75%, with the A303 and direct trains from Andover to London.
Fareham and Welborne	Below 75%, with major growth planned north of Fareham and the M27 close by.
Totton and the Waterside	In the New Forest district, below 75%, with new employment from the Solent Freeport.
Basingstoke	A major employment town on the M3 with continuing expansion and fast trains to London.
Eastleigh, Hedge End and Botley	Between Southampton and Winchester, with the airport, the M27 and strong demand.
Whitehill and Bordon	A former army town being regenerated, outside the National Park.

We look for land of 2 acres or more on the edge of these towns and the larger villages around them, especially where a site relates well to existing homes and has safe access from a road.

What This Means for Your Land

Four Hampshire councils are below 75%, and almost none of the county is Green Belt. That combination gives good edge-of-settlement land in Fareham, Gosport, New Forest and Test Valley a stronger route than it had before, as long as the site itself works. The routes we use are:

A planning application where delivery is below 75%. Land that adjoins a town or larger village, with good access and no overriding constraint, can be put forward now under national policy.
Local plan allocation. Gosport and Havant have published new draft plans, and every council will be preparing plans under the new system. See our guide to call for sites and local plans.
Nutrient and green space solutions. Early work on nutrient mitigation, and SANG where the heaths apply, makes a site easier to deliver and more valuable to a developer.
Previously developed land. Old yards, depots and redundant farm buildings, which national policy supports inside and outside settlements.
Sites near stations. National policy now supports higher density homes within walking distance of well-connected stations, depending on the station and its service.

Illustrative example: a 10-acre field on the edge of a Test Valley village

Council delivery: Test Valley at 64%, treated as having unmet housing need
Constraints: Outside the National Parks and National Landscapes, drains to the Solent, a small area of groundwater risk
Likely route: An outline planning application with nutrient mitigation secured
Your costs: None. Every planning cost, including any appeal, is paid by us
What we would offer: An option agreement at an agreed price, with the planning and mitigation costs paid for you

An illustration of how we think about a site, not a real offer. Every site is different, and our free desktop review looks at the specific field.

A low delivery score opens a door, but it does not guarantee planning. Access, drainage, nutrients and landscape still have to be answered properly, and that is where the evidence we pay for makes the difference.

The Land We Look for in Hampshire

Fields of 2 acres or more on the edge of a town or larger village.
Land in Fareham, Gosport, New Forest and Test Valley outside the National Parks.
Sites with a road frontage or a clear route to one.
Land mostly in Flood Zone 1 and away from known groundwater problems.
Former yards and other previously developed land.
Larger holdings of 20 acres or more, including land that could provide nutrient mitigation or SANG.

If your land is inside a National Park, the bar is very high, and we will tell you so. Land on the edge of a Park or National Landscape can still be promising if it is well screened and close to existing homes.

Questions About Hampshire

Does nutrient neutrality stop development on my land?

Usually not now. Mitigation credits are available across most of the Solent area, and the cost is factored into what a developer pays. We check which catchment your land drains to as part of our review.

My land is in the New Forest district but outside the National Park. Which council decides?

New Forest District Council, and its delivery of 48% applies to your land. Inside the Park, the New Forest National Park Authority decides.

Could my farmland be used for nutrient mitigation instead of housing?

Possibly. Taking land out of intensive farming, for example into woodland or wetland, can create credits developers buy. It is a separate question from housing, and we can talk it through.

Does Winchester's strong result mean there is no point applying there?

Not necessarily, but at 174% and with a plan adopted in March 2026, new sites are most likely to come through future reviews of that plan, not a shortfall.

How long does it usually take in Hampshire?

It depends on the route. A strong planning application is usually quicker than waiting for a new local plan, and we will tell you which route we recommend before you commit to anything. Either way, you pay nothing towards the planning and you keep using your land throughout. Our guide on how long planning takes explains the stages.

Sources

We update this page when new Housing Delivery Test results or local plan milestones are published. Planning positions change quickly, so always check the council's own website before relying on it.

Other Counties We Cover

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