Issues and SWOT: Havant

strength

Build on places residents can already use

Elizabeth Road’s play area has reopened.

Havant has a completed local example alongside larger schemes still in preparation.

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £1,151 a month (August 2026) in Havant council area. This is £308 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 9% in Purbrook to 16.1% in Havant St Faith's — a gap of 7.1 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

weakness

Keep Havant and Waterlooville accessible during works

Havant’s railway bridge is deteriorating, while Waterlooville’s precinct has accessibility barriers.

Residents need safe everyday routes during construction as well as better places afterwards.

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

5.6% of people reported bad or very bad health in Havant council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.7% in Cowplain to 7.6% in Leigh Park Central & West Leigh — a gap of 3.9 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

opportunity

Turn vacant land and shops into useful places

Bulbeck Road has enabling funding and a housing proposal; Havant also offers help to reuse empty shops.

New homes and active premises could bring more everyday use to the town centre.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

24.3% of people in Havant council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 13.4% in Leigh Park Hermitage to 38.7% in Hayling West — a gap of 25.3 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

26.5% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Havant council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 13.8% in Emsworth to 28.3% in Leigh Park Hermitage — a gap of 14.4 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Havant council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

7 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 11.8% in Emsworth to 31.3% in Leigh Park Central & West Leigh — a gap of 19.5 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Protect delivery across the borough

Leigh Park sports facilities, Hayling Oyster Beds and Emsworth’s pavilion have allocations, but completed benefits are not evidenced here.

A borough total can hide whether its different communities receive useful improvements.