A RETIRED planning inspector will be drafted in to help Hart District Council draw up its future housing blueprint.

Planning Minister Brandon Lewis made the announcement on Monday during a public planning meeting with Hook residents concerned about over-development.

Hart is currently drawing up a new Local Plan, a plan for development up to 2032, after its previous plan was rejected by a planning inspector last year for not consulting enough with neighbouring councils.

Mr Lewis said the retired planning inspector will give advice to Hart about drawing up its new plan.

The meeting, held in the Harlington Centre, in Fleet, heard the retired inspector will meet with Hart councillors and officers in the next 30 days.

Councillor Ken Crookes, leader of Hart District Council, said at the meeting: “I look forward to him telling us we are on the right track.”

Around 200 people came to the meeting chaired by North East Hampshire MP James Arbuthnot. He had promised Hook villagers, concerned about “uncontrolled development”, a meeting with the planning minister at a heated public meeting earlier this year.

Some Hook villagers asked Mr Lewis why large-scale development could not be postponed until Hart has its new Local Plan in place.

But Mr Lewis said he was not going to make changes to the Local Plan process, saying most councils in the country had completed their plan.

He added: “I’m not going to pretend I can give you any sweet fix. It’s about getting the neighbourhood plans in place – it’s about getting the Local Plan in place.

“Even in the absence of a Local Plan, the council still makes the decisions (on planning applications) and there are still protections in place.”

After the meeting, some villagers were not impressed with what they heard.

Dermot Smith, from pressure group Hook Action Against Over-development, said: “Mr Lewis made no commitments which is a shame because there are very simple things he could do to fix the problem.”

Sean Haffey, of Goose Green, Hook, added: “I did not expect much from this meeting and I was not disappointed, because the minister was not going to change Government policy.”