'No' to new homes in Overton

Portals Property Ltd, a subsidiary of De La Rue, made the outline application for the development of land north of London Road.

Borough councillors determining the application rejected the plans after expressing concerns over additional school numbers, an increase in traffic, and the number of houses proposed.

Councillor Ian Tilbury, representing Overton, Laverstoke and Steventon, spoke of his concern over the lack of school provision with the plan estimating 36 school places needed to be found in the village.

He said: “Residents will undoubtedly be concerned that they are seriously suggesting parents may have to send primary and reception age children to school in Whitchurch, and I have already heard of parents having to send their secondary age children to Basingstoke schools, as Testbourne is currently full.”

Concerns had been voiced by local residents about traffic during the construction of the homes, with the B3400 road expected to bear the brunt of the increase.

Local resident Hugh Macdonald-Smith told the meeting: “This road is only a fairly narrow internal estate road. The traffic along the road already carries all the movement to the hundred or so houses within the existing site.”

However, a representative from Turley Associates, the planning consulting company which has been working with Portals Property Ltd, challenged these claims.

Turley Associates director John O’Donovan told members of the borough council’s development control committee: “I say the road was purposely designed to accommodate the 120 dwellings we proposed.

“The road is wide enough to accommodate on-street parking with good forward visibility so that vehicles can pass each other safely.”

Cllr Tilbury criticised Turley Asso-ciates for not providing enough notice for a public exhibition on the proposal. But Turley Associates rejected this claim, saying they invited 200 residents to the exhibition and 76 attended.