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ADD UPDATE, 10 April 2017: Ahead of the Hampshire County Council (HCC) elections on 4 May, ADD has invited each candidate for each ward that will be impacted by options B and C of Eastleigh Borough Council’s Local Plan (namely its plans for 6,000+ houses and a major new road north of Bishopstoke and Fair Oak) to submit an article of no more than 100 words that describes their position with regards to this proposed major development area.

On 9 April, Ray Bellinger, Labour candidate for Bishopstoke and Fair Oak, sent us the following email:

“The Labour Party remains opposed to the proposed major development of 6000 houses around Bishopstoke and Fair Oak (Options B and C) for the following reasons.

• Environmental and infrastructure impact.
• Traffic congestion, pollution and parking. (New planned road will make little difference).
• Impact on countryside environments.
• Burden on local health and education services, including negative impact on our health from extra pollution.
• Extra strain and costs put on road maintenance.
• Over burdening of household waste centres.

“Labour believes that any housing plan should be based on a sensible and sustainable long term impact plan.”

Ray Bellinger
Labour candidate for Bishopstoke and Fair Oak

ADD UPDATE, 7 April 2017: In four weeks’ time, on 4 May, there are local elections for every ward in Hampshire County Council. Although Eastleigh’s emerging Local Plan is the work of Eastleigh Borough Council, we are certain that many local residents would like to learn more about the views of the County Council candidates.

The Action Against Destructive Development (ADD) campaign is not endorsing any candidate and we plan to provide a method by which residents can read and compare statements – a kind of virtual hustings.

We have invited each candidate for each ward that will be impacted if options B and C go ahead, to submit a short article, no more than 100 words, that describes their position with regards to the proposed major development area north of Bishopstoke and Fair Oak. (The aerial picture above shows the countryside in part of option B.)

We will be publishing each one, unedited, as a separate article on our website, Facebook page and Twitter feed – and we will email links to the articles. We are happy to include a photograph that the candidate supplies in the article and contact details.

The ADD campaign has received support from local politicians who represent many political parties as well as from independent representatives. By providing this virtual hustings, we aim to enable the electorate to decide which candidate will best represent their views on this critical local issue.

If candidates would like to accept this invitation, please email ADD at [email protected].

Hampshire Chronicle, 5 April 2017: A BBC wildlife expert has branded plans for housing near Winchester as a “piece of eco-vandalism”. Naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham has criticised Eastleigh Council’s plans for 6,000 homes and a new road in Fair Oak and Bishopstoke (namely options B and C of its Local Plan) as “eco-vandalism”. He has also given his backing to ADD, the pressure group set up to fight these proposals. In 2003 Packham wrote the foreword to a document entitled ‘Wild about Eastleigh’, which promoted the council’s biodiversity plans. Some of the sites featured in that document are now included in option B of the Local Plan. “It is desperately important that people get behind the campaign to prevent this piece of eco-vandalism,” Packham said.

Letter from David Betts to the Daily Echo, 29 March 2017: IT WAS good to see Chris Packham’s views on option B/C of the Eastleigh Local Plan in your paper. I totally agree that to drive a road through the north Bishopstoke area will be nothing short of ecological vandalism in respect of the damage that will ensue to the areas of precious ancient woodland. There has been much comment from Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC) regarding the fact that the new road will not actually pass though the woodland, but this is disingenuous to say the least! Click ‘more’ to read David Betts’s other reasons why EBC would be wrong to choose options B and C for its forthcoming Local Plan.

ADD UPDATE, 29 March 2017: A big ‘thank you’ to all who have helped us make real progress in the campaign to save our area from destructive, ill-considered development – otherwise known as options B and C of Eastleigh’s emerging Local Plan.

On 15 December more than 300 residents attended a full council meeting in Hedge End, requiring an overflow room with TV monitor for those who could not get into the chamber itself. Beforehand we sent all councillors a consultant’s report that demolished the case for options B and C (6,000+ new houses and a new link road to the M3 at Allbrook, Bishopstoke and Fair Oak – see above).

The report also demonstrated convincingly that alternative options in Allington Lane offer a much more deliverable, people-friendly and environmentally sound location for new housing.

We were delighted that the council listened, voting unanimously to call for more facts before making any decision. (An inaccurate report in the Daily Echo saying that B and C had been chosen was subsequently denied by the council’s press office).

It was, therefore, a disappointment when on 25 January, in the face of another full house of passionate residents, six Bishopstoke and Fair Oak councillors waved through consent for 250 houses at Pembers Hill Farm in Fair Oak. There was no real debate, just clearly pre-prepared speeches of regret. At least the chairman was careful to emphasise that this had nothing to do with B and C. We’d love to believe him!

What next?

ADD believes that the tide is turning in the right direction – thanks to formidable public support and the strength of our case.

We plan more meetings with, amongst others, Highways England, councillors, MPs and developers, biodiversity experts, plus our own planning/traffic consultants. Moreover, for the first time, we will be engaging specialist planning lawyers. We will also be holding more public meetings and other community events.

The council is due to publish its Local Plan in May. Before that, we continue to appeal for support and, in particular, for funds to pay for the advisers who are critical to our success. The developers employ lawyers and professional consultants to press their case – and we must do the same. Put bluntly, unless more people put their hands in their pockets, we will be outgunned. All donations count. Please give as much as you can.

To donate or offer other help, please visit: www.add-eastleigh.org/donate or email: [email protected].

TO VIEW A ‘FLYER’ VERSION OF THIS MESSAGE, PLEASE CLICK HERE. PLEASE PRINT AND DISTRIBUTE AS MANY AS YOU CAN!

Thank you for your support. Together we will succeed!

Daily Echo, 28 March 2017: TV NATURALIST Chris Packham has branded plans for housing in Hampshire as a “piece of eco-vandalism”. Mr Packham has voiced his fears over the future of wildlife in Eastleigh in light of plans for homes and a new road in Fair Oak and Bishopstoke. The plans are known as options B and C in the borough’s Local Plan and propose building houses near ancient woodland such as Stoke Park Woods, Upper Barn and Crowdhill Copse woods. The presenter of BBC’s Springwatch has now backed ADD’s campaign, saying: “It is desperately important that people get behind the campaign to prevent this piece of eco-vandalism. The council is guilty of shabby politics. The plans are bad for wildlife and bad for humans.”

Daily Telegraph, 27 March 2017: Chris Packham, the television naturalist, is backing a campaign to save the ancient woodland that inspired his passion for nature.  Stoke Park Woods, in Eastleigh, Hampshire, are threatened by plans to build more than 6,000 homes on greenfield land and have the houses served by a bypass carved out between two protected woods.

The plans also threaten the River Itchen, designated as a Special Area of Conservation.  Packham said, “Stoke Park Woods are where I learnt about wildlife as a kid, where I discovered my first kestrel nest.”

Hampshire Chronicle, 21 March 2017: THE Angling Trust has written to Eastleigh Borough Council to protest against its plans for 6,000+ new houses and major new road north of Bishopstoke and Fair Oak (options B and C of its Local Plan), saying that the proposals endanger the health of the River Itchen.  The letter states: “The trust, as the national representative body for all forms of recreational fishing, is concerned that plans to build thousands of homes on or near the River Itchen’s Special Area of Conservation [SAC] would cause irreparable damage to one of the world’s most iconic chalkstreams… It is an offence under EU law to damage an SAC and were this to happen the UK could be found wanting by the Court of Justice.”

CPRE, March 2017: In a thought-provoking new report, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) reveals that road-building is failing to provide the congestion relief and economic boost promised, while devastating the environment. It directly challenges government claims that ‘the economic gains from road investment are beyond doubt’; that road-building will lead to ‘mile a minute’ journeys; and that the impact on the environment will be limited ‘as far as possible’. The report shows how road building over the past two decades has repeatedly failed to live up to similar aims. As Eastleigh Borough Council considers its Local Plan options, will it listen to this compelling evidence? Click ‘more’ for the report and a short video summarising its conclusions.

ADD UPDATE, 16 March 2017: Action against Destructive Development is fiercely politically neutral. We may nonetheless speak out if a politician makes a statement that seriously misleads the public – regardless of which party they represent. Such is the case with the latest Lib Dem ‘Focus’ newsletter in Bishopstoke.

The March ‘Focus’ assures residents that options B and C, namely plans to build thousands of houses and a road between three stretches of valuable ancient woodland known collectively as Stoke Park Woods, will not damage the woodland, which is much loved and well used by residents. Focus accuses people who say otherwise of “irresponsible scaremongering”. However, the newsletter makes no mention of a warning from the Woodland Trust (which exists to protect woodland) that the plans, should they go ahead, would be “hugely damaging” to the woods. The two statements cannot both be right.

To help the editor of Focus, Mike Thornton (the former MP for Eastleigh), clarify matters we have asked him three simple questions. 1) Was he aware of the Trust’s warning when the Focus newsletter was published? 2) What contact has he had with the Trust? 3) What is his evidence for the assertion that the plans would cause no damage to the ancient woodland?

We will, of course, let readers know when we get a response. In the meantime, we publish below the Woodland Trust view and the Focus view (for the full version click here), so that people can make up their own minds who to believe.

The Woodland Trust view

Oliver Newham, the Woodland Trust’s senior campaigner for ancient woodland, says options B and C, should they be chosen, would be “hugely damaging”, adding:

“The Woodland Trust is extremely concerned about proposals that could see thousands of houses built close to areas of ancient woodland near Bishopstoke. Ancient woods are hundreds of years old and act as havens for wildlife. They are very sensitive to change, each one unique and irreplaceable. Ancient woods need properly protecting from the impacts of development. Any road between these woods would sever important wildlife corridors and further isolate the woodlands from each other. The woods would also be exposed to increased noise, light and other damaging impacts. We would urge those that love woodlands, particularly those with local experience of these woodlands, to do (and carry on doing) everything they can to convince decision-makers that these woods need protecting, not polluting.”

The Lib Dem Focus view

“Irresponsible scare-mongering that Stoke Park Woods could be threatened by any future development is simply NOT true. So says campaigner Mike Thornton, after the Council also made clear the Woods would be impacted by any northern by-pass taking traffic away from Fair Oak and Bishopstoke.* The woods are owned and managed by Forestry Commission and the Woodland Trust… Our woodlands are safe, says Mike.”

* Several Lib Dem Eastleigh borough councillors, including Keith House (the council leader), Vickieye Parkinson-McLachlan, Trevor Mignot and Derek Petty all gave such assurances at EBC’s last full council meeting in December.