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Our reflections on the Purple Haze Public Hearing held 9 Sep 2025

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The Planning Inspector (PI) opened the session by explaining how the day would flow. Proceedings would follow his Matters, Issues & Questions (MIQs) with questions of clarification asked directly about each participating organisation’s related evidence as set out in their pre-Hearing Written Submission . . .

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Clicking on the links below will take you to the Hampshire County Council website.

It's generally possible to return to this site by clicking the back arrow or liveforest tab on your web browser.

 

Hampshire Authorities:  M9.22 


Grundon Sand and Gravel:  M9.23

 

East Dorset Environment Partnership (EDEP):  M9.24 


Friends of Ringwood Forest:  M9.25


Verwood Town Council:  M9.26 

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Advice to Hampshire County Council re hydrology (Jacobs hydrology report):  EX38

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Hampshire County Council library of documents re. its Mineral & Waste Plan:  examination library

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For the Verwood Group, the PI’s questions, directed towards the VTC and EDEP submissions in turn, were fielded very ably and severally by Cllr Traves, the VTC Barrister and the VTC Hydrologist. The PI didn’t need to ask questions about the FoRF campaign submission and we were therefore not required to speak.

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There were several points of contention where Hearing participation became both lively and argumentative – most notably around how much of the proposed site could be realistically quarried without harming Ebblake Bog and/or its numerous water sources, and also around whether Ebblake Bog would even be harmed at all by quarrying Purple Haze.

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Not all matters were resolved by Hearing debates. The PI therefore closed by setting out what he needed to see next in terms of further Plan document updates and additional evidence before he makes a final decision concerning the allocation of Purple Haze within Hampshire’s Minerals & Waste Plan (HM&WP) Update.

 

Once this stage has been completed to the PI’s satisfaction, a further Public Consultation will take place. We will share the dates for future post-Hearing HM&WP Update related events as they become available.

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Recordings of this one day event are now available – click below:

Part 1:

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Part 2:

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The waiting game to learn the fate of the Purple Haze Quarry allocation within Hampshire’s Minerals & Waste Plan Update continues . . . . . . . .

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We’re always here to respond to your questions, feedback & concerns about Purple Haze.

Contact us via this website  https://www.liveforest.org - click 'Contact Us' on the this site's menu.

 

Please share this post with anyone who might be interested – easily done directly from our public Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/No2PurpleHaze/

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Published on behalf of the No2PurpleHaze campaign team, led by Friends of Ringwood Forest (FoRF)

Following Examination Hearings, held between 4th and 13th February 2025, additional specialist advice was received regarding the Purple Haze proposed allocation as a sand quarry. As a result, a second  Hearing (virtual/on-line and specifically relating to Purple Haze) was held on Tuesday 9th September 2025. The February and September Hearings were called for by a Planning Inspector, appointed by the Secretary of State. The Planning Inspector's role is basically to rule on the soundness and legality of HCC's Plan, not on individual planning applications in this case. Following a Public Hearing, the Inspector compiles a report which is then formally submitted, on behalf of the Secretary of State, to HCC. The Planning Inspector's role in this case is explained in more detail below.

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TEXT FROM LINKS

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Please note that clicking on any of the links below will cause you to leave this site. However, clicking the back arrow of your browser may get you back to the site. Alternatively, you may be able to click on a tab in your browser name Liveforest.

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Hampshire County Council is abbreviated here as 'HCC'. The Hampshire Minerals & Waste Plan is abbreviated here to 'HMWP' or 'Plan'. Purple Haze forms a part of the Plan at this stage.

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Following Examination Hearings, held between 4th and 13th February 2025, additional specialist advice was received regarding the Purple Haze proposed allocation as a sand quarry. As a result, a second  Hearing (virtual/on-line and specifically relating to Purple Haze) was held on Tuesday 9th September 2025. The February and September Hearings were called for by a Planning Inspector, appointed by the Secretary of State. The Planning Inspector's role is basically to rule on the soundness and legality of HCC's Plan, not on individual planning applications in this case. Following a Public Hearing, the Inspector compiles a report which is then formally submitted, on behalf of the Secretary of State, to HCC. The Planning Inspector's role in this case is explained in more detail below.

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The hearing processes have been informal with 'round-table' sessions led by the Planning Inspector. This process is in contrast to the more formal, traditional format of a public inquiry. Accordingly, there were no cross-examinations or formal presentation of parties’ cases.

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The document links below provide a background to the purpose of the Hearing.

​Guidance notes for Hearing

Matters Planning Inspector wishes to address

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The September Hearing session was a continuation of Matters 9 and 1 as detailed in the Inspector's Matters, Issues, and Questions (document ID03) having regard to the specialist advice that was provided and regard to any implications thereof.

 

The specialist advice is published as document EX38. This document is of particular interest and contains a topic which was much discussed at the September hearing: a hydrology report on Purple Haze by consultants Jacobs. Geo-hydrologists representing Verwood Town Council and the developer Grundon participated in the meeting.

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EX38-Specialist-advice-on-PurpleHazehydrology-030725.pdf.

 

All documents relating to the HCC Plan, including those discussed above, are published in HCC's Examination Library for matters relating to the plan. This library can be viewed here here 

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​Contact us

info@forf.org.uk

https://www.facebook.com/No2PurpleHaze/

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