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ADD UPDATE, 7 October 2024: The new government has instructed Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC) to find room for another 3,675 homes – on top of the already challenging requirement to deliver 9,675 over the next 15 years. Although brownfield sites are part of the solution, it means that swathes of much-loved countryside are potentially under threat. We are due to get a better idea of the direction of travel when EBC publishes an options document towards the end of the autumn. That is when we need to be on full alert.

“The conundrum that has yet to be resolved is the mismatch between the executive estates on attractive rural or semi-rural sites that developers want to build and what is actually needed – affordable homes in or near existing urban centres,” says ADD chair David Ashe. “Unless they think outside the box, the government’s ambitions to build 1.5 million new dwellings will not necessarily make owning a home more affordable. There’s currently little sign of the imaginative thinking required.”

The UK now has substantially more houses per head of population than it did 50 years ago – yet prices have soared dramatically in that time.

Whilst ADD recognises the need for more housing, we are strongly of the view that it should be determined strategically and collaboratively by the planning authority after consulting local residents and businesses. We know from the previous Eastleigh Local Plan, and from experience elsewhere, that this is too important to be left to developers, whose objectives will inevitably be to maximise profits rather than protect the local environment and quality of life. In particular, attention needs to be paid to the impact on local services and our already over-stretched roads, accentuating the need to keep car use to a minimum.

What is more, quality is important or the dream of owning your own home can quickly turn sour. According to the Design Council, 75% of new housing schemes are either poor or mediocre – another reason not to trust developers to get it right on their own.

As if the picture is not already complicated enough, the government’s requirement to build 13,350 homes in Eastleigh is unrealistic. As EBC acknowledge, the government targets could well result in thousands more homes being built than the borough will need over the next 15 years, according to population projections. And developers will only build houses they can be confident of selling at a profit. There is also a serious skill shortage in the industry, which is bound to get worse as a high proportion of building workers are over 50 years of age.

Of course, ADD cannot influence government policy, but it is our intention to play a constructive role locally, pressing for the best possible outcomes. In short, the right houses in the right places.

We will continue to keep you updated as events unfold.

ADD UPDATE: 19 August 2024: If Bloor Homes were hoping that their low-key public consultation for a proposed 250-home estate in Mortimers Lane would go under the radar, they have certainly had a rude awakening. More than 60 residents sent objections in just eight days after ADD alerted supporters to the plans, an exceptional response that shows the strength of feeling locally.

To put that number into context, when Eastleigh Borough Council launched a much more widely publicised and accessible consultation into plans for two new developments in Allington Lane back in 2015, they received just five objections.

Whilst we have not yet had time to study residents’ views in detail, nearly everyone was concerned about the impact on our already overcrowded roads, with many expressing similar worries about GP services. No one disputed the need for new homes, but there was considerable annoyance at the apparent attempt by the company to pre-empt the planning timetable, which will determine the best locations for future development.

“I would like to express our heart-felt gratitude to our supporters for their prompt response in sending their objections,” said ADD chair David Ashe. “We totally endorse the need for more housing, but we regard the Bloor plans as a textbook case of the wrong homes in the wrong place.”

To view ADD’s own response, click here.

Separately from ADD’s initiative, local Liberal Democrat councillor Nick Couldrey has made his opposition clear, telling the Daily Echo that “the current proposal should be resisted…There are many proposals and these need to be compared to each other before deciding where any new homes should be built.”

ADD will keep supporters updated. If you or anyone you know would like to receive our emails, please use this sign-up form to do so. You can also contact us at [email protected].

ADD UPDATE, 2 August 2024: We reported recently that Bloor Homes have announced plans for a 250-home estate on Mortimers Lane, Fair Oak – part of the Option C plan rejected by the planning inspector in 2020. The company have since launched a swift ‘public consultation’, which has all the hallmarks of an empty PR exercise.

If you give local residents just three weeks to respond during the holiday season – and don’t make it clear how to do so – you may not get any feedback. And then, of course, you can truthfully say that no one objected to your scheme.

So we urge anyone concerned about the future of our area to examine the plans at https://www.mortimerslaneconsultation.co.uk/ and to submit their views by the deadline of 8 August 2024. The relevant email address for responses is [email protected].

ADD, while recognising the need for more housebuilding in Eastleigh, considers this site to be totally unsuitable. In particular, it will cause even more pressure on our already heavily congested roads, adding to traffic to Winchester through Colden Common and Twyford, to Eastleigh via Bishopstoke Road, and on the rural lanes of the South Downs National Park.

Bloor Homes are clearly trying to pre-empt Eastleigh Borough Council’s planning process, which is due to go out to public consultation late autumn. We shall be keeping a close watch on developments.

We recognise that you may wish to keep your submission to Bloor Homes confidential. However, please do copy us at [email protected], if you feel inclined to do so. Your comments could provide useful evidence, though we will not be publicising any names. 

ADD UPDATE, 25 July 2024: ADD has received several reports from concerned residents of Fair Oak and neighbouring areas who suspect that developers are pre-empting the planning process by earmarking large areas of countryside for new housing estates. If successful, they would go a long way to reviving Option C of the previous Eastleigh Local Plan (see image above), which was so roundly rejected by the Planning Inspector only a few years ago.

Whilst endorsing the need for new housing, ADD fears that some companies are trying to force the hand of Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC), ignoring the agreed timetable for determining where new homes should be built. It is our view that the sites being promoted remain totally unacceptable on environmental and infrastructure grounds and would be unlikely to provide the type of housing that the area needs.

As we reported last year, Croudace have acquired the rights to build 1,500 new homes on a 192-acre site off Mortimers Lane. Since then, their surveyors have been out in force sizing up the area with a view to creating detailed plans.

More recently, Bloor homes have unveiled proposals for a 250-property estate between Pembers Hill Park and East Horton Golf Club. They have launched a ‘public consultation’ (in reality a superficial PR exercise), giving people just three weeks to respond during the summer holiday period with no clear instructions as to how to do so.

Ominously, their website states: “The site is currently being promoted for residential development as part of Eastleigh Borough Council’s emerging Local Plan.”

In response to an email from ADD, EBC planning policy manager Graham Tuck gave an assurance that the council is still a long way from deciding which sites to favour for future building. He said he expects to undertake an ‘issues and options’ public consultation in late autumn, adding this would be led by the council rather than developers.

“We are reassured that the council intends to take control of the new Local Plan, unlike with the previous one,” said ADD chair David Ashe. “It is vital that we end up with the right type of housing in the right places, rather than bending to the profit-driven motives of the developers.”

ADD will be providing regular updates as the new Local Plan process hots up. If you wish to be on our mailing list, please contact us at [email protected]. We greatly value feedback and tip-offs from residents, so do keep us informed of developments.

ADD UPDATE, 31 August 2023: A firm of developers has acquired option agreements on 192 acres of land north of Fair Oak with a view to building 1,500 homes – so reviving a large part of the Option C expansion area rejected by the planning inspector two years ago. Croudace say their proposal would include a new primary school and local centre.

The news is certain to alarm Fair Oak residents who will recall how the previous Eastleigh Local Plan would have engulfed the village, together with neighbouring Bishopstoke, in a massive urban sprawl. Eastleigh Borough Council has invited anyone to send in details of potential sites for development by September 6 as it gears up for its next local plan. It is not yet clear whether it will promote this particular proposal.

ADD (Action against Destructive Development), while accepting the need for some new housing in the borough, views the site as totally unacceptable. The inspector slammed development in this area, largely because of the impact on the South Downs National Park and its narrow lanes. With no public transport infrastructure, it would be heavily car-dependant and put a massive pressure on the already overloaded road network, with no realistic way of alleviating it.

“It’s disappointing but not especially surprising that Fair Oak is once again threatened by inappropriate development, which would have a big impact on the environment and the quality of life of local people,” said ADD chair David Ashe. “With the help of our supporters, we will be putting forward strong, evidence-based arguments and – like last time – will be working hard to ensure the right outcome.”

The new Eastleigh Local Plan is due to come into force in 2029.

ADD UPDATE, 30 June 2023: Eastleigh is to get a new Local Plan, to be in place by 2029. It will replace the one adopted last year after Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC)’s original version had been rejected by the planning inspector. Action against Destructive Development (ADD), having campaigned successfully to get fundamental changes to the previous plan, will be following progress closely.

ADD accepts the case for new housing, and will support developments that are sensitive to the natural environment, the quality of life of residents and the housing needs of local people.

So what happens now?

September 6, 2023: Deadline for anyone to send Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC) details of potential sites for development.
Autumn 2023: Council to publish a Statement of Community Involvement, setting out how it will consult local people.
Autumn 2024: Approval of the ‘Issues and Options’ paper, which can be expected to include a shortlist of potential sites. This will be followed by the start of the public consultation.
Summer 2026: Approval of the council’s preferred sites to be tested in more detail.
Autumn 2027: Approval of Local Plan, subject to further public consultation.
Spring 2028: Submission of Local Plan to the Secretary of State
Spring 2028 – Spring 2029: public examination of the Local Plan.
Spring 2029: Adoption of local plan with possible amendments.

ADD’s supporters will recall that we strongly opposed EBC’s previous Local Plan, which would have involved 5,500 homes in highly eco-sensitive locations in Fair Oak and Bishopstoke, a major new road through countryside, permanent damage to several areas of ancient woodland, pollution on the River Itchen and an unacceptable increase in road traffic.

“We look forward to co-operating with Eastleigh Borough Council, our parish councils, other local organisations and residents to achieve the best possible outcome,” said ADD chair David Ashe. “We hope that this time around the consultation process will be genuine, that the council will be led by what is best for the area rather than by developers and that all possible sites are given full and fair consideration.”

For more details go to https://www.eastleigh.gov.uk/media/13202/post-cab-new-sci-v5-190623.pdf

Throughout this process, we will be providing updates on this website.

ADD UPDATE, 16 December 2022: It has been a long time since ADD communicated with our supporters, and there is a simple reason for this. Having achieved our aim of getting fundamental changes to the Eastleigh Local Plan, there has been little to say. At its meeting in October, Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC) voted to adopt adopt the revised plan for 2016-36 drawn up after the Planning Inspector’s stinging assessment of the original version.

Gone are proposals to build up to 5,500 homes in Strategic Growth Options B and C, which would have created a huge urban sprawl covering large swathes of Fair Oak and Bishopstoke in the most eco-sensitive parts of the borough. EBC has also abandoned the link road that would have cut Colden Common in two.

So ADD’s mission is complete – or is it?

At the ADD committee meeting last month, we discussed the continuing, probably never-ending need for vigilance. The pressure from developers will always be there, and EBC will start the process of reviewing the Local Plan in 2023. Whilst there is very little chance of the old proposals being revived, EBC still has to find space for another 2,500 homes (though this number may come down in light of revised population projections and changes in government planning policy).

We therefore believe there is a continuing need to protect our environment from the possibility of inappropriate, destructive development. In particular, we will scrutinise the revised plan when it is published, and we will comment as necessary. Our objective will be to ensure that, where there is a genuine need for new development, we get the right houses in the right places.

We shall also be following what happens to Stoke Park Farm in Bishopstoke, which originally made up most of Option B. EBC has purchased the land and taken it out of production to provide the nitrate and phosphate offset required whenever there are major building developments. This means it cannot be used for housing, nor can the major new link road originally planned to facilitate development in Fair Oak be built. The EBC Local Area Committee is championing proposals to create a wildlife park there, which we enthusiastically support.

Our overriding aim remains the same – to protect the environment and quality of life in our corner of Hampshire whilst supporting new housing development where it is appropriate. We will continue to keep you updated as our work continues.

After leading ADD since shortly after its inception six years ago and overseeing every aspect of its work, John Lauwerys has stepped down as chair. As many people know, his contribution to our community has been immense, and we are all grateful to him. David Ashe will be taking over in an interim capacity. David has been a leading and very active member of ADD, and is a former chair of Upham Parish Council.

ADD UPDATE: 26 March 2022: The long-running saga of the Eastleigh Local Plan will finally end next month when Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC) formally gives a revised version its approval after getting the green light from the planning inspector, Christa Masters. The new plan is radically different (and in our view hugely improved) compared to the one originally favoured by the council in December 2015.

Most importantly of all, proposals (so-called Options B and C or the Strategic Growth Option) to create an urban sprawl the size of a small town to the north of Fair Oak and Bishopstoke, encompassing the most eco-sensitive parts of the borough, are no longer there. The associated link road, essential for Options B and C, has also been removed.

As anyone familiar with ADD’s activities will know, these changes are exactly what we and our supporters had hoped to see.

ADD chair John Lauwerys commented that the amended plan, which has been approved by the inspector, puts the final seal on more than six years of intensive campaigning. “This has been a huge community effort involving hundreds of local residents, and it is fantastic to see all our hard work bear fruit,” he said.

In her 50-page final report, Ms Masters goes into some detail as to why she rejected the original plan in a letter sent to EBC nearly two years ago. In doing so, she echoes many of the objections put forward by ADD. These include the impact on the South Downs National Park, the failure to give adequate consideration to alternative development sites, sustainability issues, insufficient gaps between communities, and the likely effect on traffic.

On the national park she says: “Additional traffic at the sort of level predicted by the evidence base could have a detrimental effect on the communities concerned.”

On the failure to give adequate consideration to alternative potential development sites, she expresses “serious concerns in relation to the assessment of individual reasonable options… On this basis it cannot be demonstrated that the preferred SGO [Strategic Growth Option] is sound.”

On traffic, she highlights “the distance people would need to travel, the ability of people to walk and cycle, the propensity to use public transport and the level of delay on the highway network. Overall, the evidence base does not justify the selection of the SGO as the preferred option in this regard.”

Inevitably, however, this is not the end of the story. As Ms Masters points out, work on the next Eastleigh Local Plan will have to begin soon, and should be complete within the next five years. The need for vigilance is never-ending.

ADD UPDATE: 13 March 2022: Exciting plans to create a permanent new nature reserve in Bishopstoke and Fair Oak are a step closer after a vote by the Bishopstoke, Fair Oak and Horton Heath Local Area Committee of Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC) last week. The committee agreed unanimously to back a scheme drawn up by local Independent councillors Lou Parker-Jones and Gin Tidridge that would see the natural environment preserved “in perpetuity” on land currently occupied by Stoke Park Farm.

Stoke Park Farm originally made up most of the Option B part of the Eastleigh Local Plan, which would have created an urban sprawl roughly the size of Petersfield. It was removed on the direction of the planning inspector, along with adjacent Option C.

Describing the farmland as “an essential breathing space…a place of exceptional beauty”, Cllr Tidridge stressed that the intention was to create a nature reserve rather than a country park. However, she envisaged that there would be footpaths to make the land accessible to the public.

EBC has already agreed to buy the farm, which is mainly in Bishopstoke but crosses into Fair Oak, to use it for nitrate/phosphate mitigation purposes. Doing so will enable the council to meet a legal requirement set out by Natural England to offset the harmful effects of nitrogen and other chemicals from new housing entering the sea and other waterways. Because fertilisers used in agriculture also produce nitrogen, finding alternative uses for the land will satisfy this requirement.

The plan has still to be approved by a full council meeting of EBC, but appears to have the support of all political groups represented on the authority. Cllrs Michelle Marsh (Lib Dem) and Steve Broomfield (Conservative) also spoke strongly in favour.

ADD chair John Lauwerys was among members of the public to speak at the meeting and also gave the proposed nature reserve strong backing.

Helen Douglas, chair of Fair Oak and Horton Heath parish council, applauded the initiative. She called, however, for the creation of other green spaces elsewhere in the parish. She highlighted the needs of Horton Heath in particular, as it is currently undergoing extensive development.

ADD UPDATE, 14 February 2022: Action against Destructive Development (ADD) has welcomed news that Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC) is purchasing farmland in the former Option B area of the Local Plan – and that it has pledged to protect it as a green space.

EBC leader Keith House said: “This land will remain undeveloped, help protect land between our communities and provide environmental benefits for the long term.”

EBC is in the process of acquiring Stoke Park Farm and Manor Farm in Bishopstoke, land that the council had originally earmarked for housing as part of a 5,500-home expansion of the borough. In April 2020 the government planning inspector instructed the council to withdraw the proposal, along with the adjacent Option C development in Fair Oak.

EBC says it is now considering a number of options, including “additional woodland planting, creating habitats for biodiversity to thrive such as the Southern Damsel Fly, or left in natural states as additional green space such as meadows or wetlands, preserving our gaps between our towns and villages.”

Welcoming the council’s decision, ADD chair John Lauwerys said: “This is great news for the residents of Bishopstoke and Colden Common – and for anyone concerned about our precious natural environment. It means that the development on the option B area including the planned new link road will never take place. And, given that Option C was dependent on the link road, that too now seems consigned to history.”

Purchasing the land will enable EBC to meet a legal requirement set out by Natural England to offset the harmful effects of nitrogen and other chemicals from new housing entering the sea and other waterways. Because fertilisers used in agriculture also produce nitrogen, finding alternative uses for the land will satisfy this requirement. There are currently a number of developments planned for the borough, including more than 2,000 homes at nearby Horton Heath being developed by EBC.