Hundreds of homes get the green light (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Hundreds of homes get the green light

11:39am Monday 30th July 2007

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A CONTROVERSIAL major housing development of nearly 300 homes close to Basingstoke town centre has been given the go-ahead.

A total of 291 flats and houses will now be built on land at Churchill Way West - a decision that has disappointed opponents who have voiced concerns about potential drainage and flooding problems on the site.

On balance, the proposal in front of us is acceptable with a few minor alterations

Cllr Kenneth Rhatigan

Members of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's development control committee spent more than an hour debating the proposed new development before a majority of councillors voted in favour of the scheme.

A decision on the project had been deferred in April after councillors asked for clarification and amendments on a number of issues, such as the design and layout, including parking and drainage.

Forty per cent of the new development will feature affordable homes, in line with Government guidelines. There will be 335 car parking spaces, including 30 visitor spaces, and 549 spaces for bicycles.

The blocks of flats on the development will range from three to five storeys, and the affordable housing element will be dotted across the estate in three blocks.

A new signal junction with Churchill Way West will incorporate a toucan crossing across the dual carriageway - but both councillors and concerned residents questioned whether a bridge would have been a safer option.

Heather Rainbow, of the national cyclists' organisation CTC, said: "The safety record of some of the pedestrian crossings is not good - we want a bridge as that is safest."

Councillor John Shaw, member for Brookvale, urged councillors to reject the proposed development. He said that a toucan crossing would not be safe and he also raised doubts about problems with drainage on the development.

Ted Blackmore-Squires, secretary of the Brookvale Community Association's development sub-committee, voiced the group's concerns about sewage leaks and flooding, and asked for better pavements to link the estate to the town centre and other housing areas.

Mr Blackmore-Squires also echoed pleas for a bridge. He said: "We do not believe the crossing across the dual carriageway is safe, either for pedestrians or vehicles. We need a new bridge."

Ian Blair, south division land manager for developer David Wilson Homes, said: "We have looked at three different options - the pedestrian crossing, the over-bridge and the underpass.

"We compared each of the options in respect of public safety, usage and benefit to the community and came up with an appraisal which concluded a pedestrian crossing was the preferred option."

Cllr Marilyn Tucker asked for assurances that the buildings in the development would not be blue or yellow, and planning officer Giorgio Framalicco confirmed this would not be the case.

Cllr Kenneth Rhatigan, who represents Kingsclere, proposed that the application should be approved.

He said: "Since this application was with us a few months ago, I feel that the applicant has answered the majority of the questions that we have. They have shown a willingness to listen to us as members.

"On balance, the proposal in front of us is acceptable with a few minor alterations."

Initial work on the site is set to begin in the next few months and the building of homes is likely to start at the end of this year or the beginning of 2008.

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