ADD UPDATE, 16 December 2016: A million thanks to the hundreds of local residents who travelled all the way to Hedge End last night to attend Eastleigh Borough Council’s meeting on its emerging Local Plan. Thanks to the excellent representations from the public, councillors got a very clear message as to the level of opposition to the proposed development in Allbrook, Bishopstoke and Fair Oak, so-called options B and C, and the growing mountain of evidence against them. Of the external contributions to the meeting, only one person spoke in favour of options B and C – and that was an agent to the developers in that area!
Our long-held objective for the meeting was to ensure that councillors keep an open mind as to the two strategic options for the plan and act only on the basis of proper evidence. Thanks to your support, we achieved this outcome. Despite this morning’s comments from Council Leader Keith House implying all the work will now concentrate on options B and C and that the Allington Lane proposals are undeliverable, a clear majority of councillors recognised they do not yet have the evidence to choose between the options. We are grateful to councillors for listening to our reasoned arguments and agreeing to keep all options on the table while further professional studies are carried out.
The way our community has come together with such energy to fight the unworkable plans in the north of the borough is truly terrific. The ADD team is now going to take a break for Christmas but we will be back, stronger than ever, in the new year. If any of you would like to contribute to our efforts, either financially or intellectually, please let us know. To the growing number of you who have already done so, thank you. If you can do more, please do! If you have yet to contribute, please do think about what you can do.
All the evidence suggests we will – together – reach the right outcome but it’s clear we will need to work with the council to do so. Ultimately our objectives are the same: to give Eastleigh a much-needed Local Plan that works for the whole of the borough.
With all best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year,
ADD
