WINCHESTER City Council has approved plans for a new employment park in Alresford.
Seaward Properties Ltd applied for permission to build the park, consisting of 22 “units of employment” as well as associated landscaping on land to east of Sun Lane.
The park will be constructed close to 320 new homes, which are being built by Taylor Wimpey.
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Speaking to the committee, Margot Power, ward councillor for Alresford and the Itchen Valley, said: “The site is no longer bound by mature trees or hedging, and that is not the fault of the current developer or Taylor Wimpey, developing the outlying site.
“There is no longer the screening in place, and as we know, trees break up the impact of a mass of buildings.
“This is not just affecting very local residents to the site, it also affects those driving down Sun Lane to use the new A31 access. The question for the committee is, how can you best protect residents from the sight of this? Industrial units are not famed for their beauty, even if they are clad in variations of grey or wood cladding.”
David Jobbins, agent for the employment park, called the development “the final part of the jigsaw for New Alresford”.
He said: “There is no material impact upon residential properties arising from the proposals. This is also the view of your planning officers and environmental health officers, subject to a condition limiting the use of Unit 1.
“I would like to emphasise the importance of approving this application in terms of promoting and supporting existing and new businesses in Alresford.”
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Cllr Jonathan Williams said: “I welcome the additional recycling condition, and the commitment to planting to screen. It is disappointing that the trees were removed that would have screened Unit 1 in the first place, so I hope the developer will be looking to plant those as soon as possible so they can grow while the continued construction of the unit goes on when future applications come to us.
“Overall, I welcome the openness of this, and the density of the development, including the landscaping and planting within the development itself, so I will be supporting the application.”
All members of the committee voted to approve the application on Wednesday, September 25.
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