COUNTRYSIDE campaigners are calling for a mixed development on Bushfield Camp near Winchester.

The landowner of the camp, the Church Commissioners, is proposing a commercial re-use of the brownfield part of the site near Badger Farm with public consultation this weekend.

But CPRE Hampshire is urging a wider scheme to include housing, for up to 400 homes, partly to ease the pressure on local stock if a new business park is built.

In its submission to the consultation on the draft Winchester Local Plan 2019-2039 the CPRE says: "We do not believe that development at Bushfield should be restricted to employment use. There is no need for the full 20-hectare brownfield portion of the Bushfield site to be earmarked solely for employment use.

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"Moreover, were this to happen there would inevitably be further pressure on the local housing sector from those employed in the new development on this site. In addition, many of the new jobs created at Bushfield would be filled by people living further afield whose travel to work would create additional traffic further contributing to the climate change challenge. It would be much more sustainable for the Bushfield camp development to be a mixed scheme with both employment related space and housing, including in particular social housing which is so desperately needed in Winchester.

"The latter is likely to be recognised as very appropriate by the owners of the site who have a clear ethical approach to the development of their landholdings. As a guide we suggest that half the development be employment related and the other half housing which, using the guideline standard adopted by the Council in its SHEELA assessment, could then deliver between 300-400 dwellings."

The Church Commissioners and developers Legal and General and Gisbourne are holding two events to outline the future of the base. They will be at Shawford Parish Hall between 3-7pm on Friday January 13; and between 10am-2pm on Saturday January 14 at Badger Farm Community Centre.

Meanwhile, Winchester Action on Climate Crisis has organised a public meeting on Saturday January 28 to discuss the development. It will be at 10.30am at the St Lawrence's Parish Room on Colebrook Street.