A PARISH council is opposing major housing plans for a Hampshire village.
The scheme, at Solomons Lane in Waltham Chase, includes 80 houses, commercial space and vehicle access.
It was submitted two years ago, but has been recently amended by the applicant.
Shedfield Parish Council is opposing the development, with 13 others submitting objections after the changes on March 7.
In a statement, the parish council said: “This matter is due to be heard at Winchester City Council planning committee on December 12.
“The parish council fully recognises that the area needs development, however the plans that are currently being reviewed by the committee are not fit for purpose. Shedfield Parish Council is completely against these plans - as they stand today.
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“Many residents, organisations and agencies have highlighted the plans’ deficiencies for several years. The developers have revised the plans many times and there is now confusion of what exactly is proposed.
“For 25 years the community has known that the development is being considered and is included in the Local Plan, which incorporates employment, playing areas and open spaces.
“The development that will be presented to the planning committee is outside the agreed planning policy.
“This application has little or no open spaces; play areas; employment; affordable housing; drainage; improved infrastructure and many other issues. It also creates danger to users of the highway, especially children walking to school. The application, and the hundreds of accompanying documents, are chaotic, unclear, and mis-managed.
“The community will be represented at the meeting by its own planning consultant and local politicians. The planned speeches will be available online via the parish website in due course.”
In the application's latest planning statement, it said: “This addendum planning statement has been prepared in support of a suite of amended plans and reports, and on behalf of Cleanslate Limited, following the original submission in September 2021. It is a culmination of extensive negotiation with officers, key consultees, and the local community to address matters raised in responses to the original submission.
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“The updated scheme has sought to address the feedback received during the determination process and following further correspondence with the parish council.
“The scheme is considered to demonstrate high quality design with appropriate landscape mitigation along the northern and eastern boundaries.
“The proposals will nevertheless deliver much needed market and affordable housing in the locality and wider area, to meet existing and future needs. It will also provide flexible commercial space providing premises for some existing tenants on site, but also opportunities for other suitable commercial uses. It would secure the redevelopment of this long-standing allocation and brownfield site that will benefit from regeneration.”
Updates to the scheme include reducing the number of homes from 98 to 80; relocating buildings away from the prominent south-west corner of the site and additional landscaping to soften entrance to the village from the south.
For more details about the plan, search 21/02439/FUL on Winchester City Council's online planning portal.
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