THE proposed plans for the Manydown project should be used as a platform for Basingstoke and Deane to learn from past mistakes according to a ward councillor.

Rooksdown ward councillor, Cllr Simon Bound, believes as joint land owners with Hampshire County Council, the borough council should ensure developers are going the extra mile to provide quality new builds.

The proposed plans, if approved, would bring 3,200 new homes, businesses, shops and community facilities, two new primary schools and land for a new secondary school into the borough.

Cllr Bound said: “As a councillor representing an area with significant areas of new build housing one of the most essential steps would be to implement a process to add a level of quality assurance which does not appear to exist in the current system.

“As Manydown is publicly owned land surely there is an opportunity for the Borough and County Council to take extra steps to ensure problems that have been experienced in the past are not repeated on land that we are going to develop.”

However, Cllr Bound does have concerns about the transparency of the plans, specifically surrounding the location of the proposed traveller and gypsy site.

He added: “I am also disturbed to find that of the eleven key elements that only one that has no details associated with it is around the location of the traveller and gypsy site.

“Submitting an outline planning permission with detail in some areas and not others suggests that the application has been submitted prematurely.”

Cabinet member for property and development Cllr John Izett said: “Manydown will be a wellplanned, well- designed new community with homes built to last.

“Making Manydown an exemplar development is intrinsic to everything we’ve said and done over the last 18 months of work with our team of experts and consultation with local communities.

“We are determined to learn lessons from what residents have told us about other developments and we are ensuring the highest quality solutions can be delivered through the selection process for potential development partners.”

He added: “As the joint landowner with Hampshire County Council, we are looking to create a development that respects the needs of all the community.

“The total number of pitches for homes needed for the Gypsy and Traveller communities across the borough is currently being reassessed.

“These sites would be residential sites, located in one or two smaller areas, and not sites for travellers passing through.

“We would seek to locate these smaller areas where they will be best placed both in relation to the main development at Manydown and to the existing communities, all of which would be subject to further consultation.”