This is a Report based on the discussions from the meeting held on 29th September 2010 in the Village Hall

Objections to planning application 26049/008 - Building of 13 "affordable" homes between The Pheasant PH and Marelands on A32

To see the A32 planning application for 13 houses on the East Hampshire Planning list click here

KEY POINTS

The Chairman of Farringdon PC indicated that Council would be objecting on several grounds

Several points were raised regarding the application which fell short of the EHDC planning policy (H12). These included:

  1. No viable bus service serving the village. There is a school/Alton College bus service that runs five days a week for about 40 weeks per year; this departs and returns at specified times each day, wholly inconvenient for shoppers, etc.
  2. Development NOT in keeping with surrounding houses
  3. Concerns about removal of a tree (horse chestnut?) in the middle of the proposed development subject to a Tree Preservation Order
  4. Unreliability of data supplied by EHDC Housing regarding numbers of persons claiming special affinity with/need to be housed in Farringdon. There was great concern that all applicants to be housed in any new development (and their successors) should be subject to the strictest possible Section 106 agreement between the developers and the managing agents, possibly Hyde Martlett (EHDC preferred). Previous housing associations -Drum and Swaythling - had fallen far short of the expected mark in management and control of tenants
  5. It was felt that if all properties were tenanted, neglect and anti-social behaviour could run rampant, as previously experienced by the village; better that a proportion be occupied by joint-ownership tenants. With, in effect, now, no beat policing and comparative indifference from the local constabulary, control of ASB incidents could not be managed.
  6. Lack of visitor parking facilities and inadequate turning provision for vehicles causing possible parking of vehicles on A32
  7. Front houses too close to A32
  8. Design bland and lacking in detail - conflicting with the already adopted (by EHDC) Village Design Statement. 4 flats, included in the plans submitted would be unique in the village
  9. Any loss of mature hedgerow fronting the proposed development would adversely affect the 'street scene'
  10. The infrastructure of the village is almost non-existent. Apart from a negligible bus service (see above (2), there is no shop, post office, school or other everyday amenity. There is one new playground, two pubs, a church and a village Hall. However, to access these (with one exception) involves crossing the hazardous A32, especially dangerous for children. The lack of infrastructure has previously been pointed out by an Inspector at a Public Enquiry which turned down, for this reason, houses (20) on the Mill Site, though this site is still included within the settlement boundary, unlike the application in question. However, many of the same problems exist in case of Mill Site development.
  11. Despite assurances from HCC Highways that sight-lines are acceptable, this is strongly disputed; the volume (and often speed) of traffic using the A32 make this a most hazardous road, and additionally, frequent off-loading of HGVs at adjacent Bahnstormer Motorcycles greatly aggravates the risk to all wishing to access, travel on, or cross the A32 - despite its recent reduction to 30 mph. The design also requires (probably) that the access be central and NOT where currently positioned, to obtain sight lines to the North. To achieve this, we are led to believe that Marelands occupants have to give their permission. We need to be aware that access could be moved adjacent to the Pheasant boundary.
  12. A recent survey of Housing Association tenants showed Farringdon to rate "very poor" in facilities
  13. In trying to estimate the veracity of claimants to occupy assisted housing in Farringdon, together with local knowledge, it is felt that the case has been grossly overstated and that, therefore, the application to build 13 houses is a gross overestimate of the accommodation required


Mike Findlay
Parish Clerk

This is a document based on the discussions held in Farringdon on 29 September 2010:

It is likely that this application will go to North Planning Committee in the next few weeks unless it is turned down earlier by EHDC.

I must remind would-be objectors to the application that their response to EHDC MUST be done individually, as they see fit. Reproducing the above information (per se) would be pointless, as would any petition or "round-robin letter" , for irrespective of the numbers received, these would be counted ONLY as ONE vote against the proposal.

Objections to the application must be received by EHDC by 12 October 2010
at the latest.

Mike Findlay, Parish Clerk

To see the A32 planning application for 13 houses on the East Hampshire Planning list click here





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