NEARLY 60 homes have been given the go-ahead on a derelict plot of land that is popular with travellers and is commonly used as a fly-tipping site.

A planning application to build 57 homes on Kempshott Park Industrial Estate, in Longwood Copse Lane, was approved by councillors on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s development control committee.

The full planning application for 48 houses and nine flats was submitted to the borough council by Finnab Limited in May 2013.

The development will provide 40 per cent affordable housing, containing a mix of three one-bedroom flats, six two-bedroom flats and eight three-bedroom houses. The developer proposes that the remaining 34 dwellings will be a mix of two, three and four-bedroom properties.

As part of the development, improvements will be made to Longwood Copse Lane which will include a new footpath and a traffic chicane.

But questions were raised about parking provision for the site. A total of 126 off-street parking spaces are planned for the development.

Councillor Terri Reid, borough councillor for Hatch Warren and Beggarwood, told the meeting: “Many of my residents will see this as an improvement, but I do have some concerns. I have some worries that the site is not sustainable.

“As you would have seen, the site is cut off. I have some concerns about parking. Parking is a fairly major issue in Beggarwood, and I get frequent calls of neighbourhood disputes so I would be concerned that we would be approving a scheme which would be adding to this problem.”

But Cllr David Potter added: “On the parking issue, I think it is fair to say I can take you to a number of developments in Basing-stoke where we have approved developments like this.

“The reality is, the standards of parking provision are met with this application. It is a sustainable development and I think there is no alternative but to support the application.”