ADD UPDATE, 6 January 2026: ADD wishes its supporters a happy and successful new year – with heartfelt thanks to all those who helped us during 2025.
We finished on a high note when the Fair Oak and Bishopstoke Local Area Committee decided unanimously, against the advice of officers, to refuse plans by Bloor Homes to build 245 homes on a site off Mortimers Lane. The residents who crammed into the public area to show their opposition to the development made a huge difference.
And we will need your support even more during 2026.
This year the emerging Local Plan will take shape. Eastleigh Borough Council will decide which of the potential sites put forward should be developed as it seeks to meet the government target of another 9,500 new homes. It is considering four major options – one near the centre of Hedge End, two along Allington Lane and the fourth up Mortimers Lane.
ADD accepts the need for more housing. It recognises that much valued open green spaces will be lost, even though the first priority must be to build on so-called brownfield sites. It is clear to us, however, that Mortimers Lane (known as Option A) is the least suitable for expansion.
Option A would have the most damaging impact on our local roads, adding to the already dire congestion that we experience at peak times. It would be totally car-dependent because of its location, and would destroy valuable, eco-rich countryside. It would also go against government policy, which sees sustainable travel as a top priority and favours high-density housing clustered around railway stations. So, from both a local and national point of view, it is the least desirable of those on offer.
Croudace’s proposal for a 3,400-home estate, also off Mortimers Lane, is a taste of things to come. When the company put on a public exhibition in Fair Oak shortly before Christmas, the fuzzy images on display could not conceal the fact it would create a massive piece of urban sprawl. Its impact on the area, especially the roads, could only be detrimental.
We have shown that together we can succeed by putting forward strong, evidence-based arguments and demonstrating the strength of local feeling.
We have achieved much – but this is only the beginning.
