TOP London planning consultants and lawyers will be hired by those fighting the proposed Winchfield Garden Community, a meeting heard.

The comment from Councillor Andrew Renshaw, chairman of Winchfield Parish Council, comes after Barratt Homes published a 32-page brochure on building up to 5,000 in the village.

Last Thursday, members of Cabinet at Hart District Council agreed to test its preferred option of building a new settlement at Winchfield. The proposal will go before full council on Thursday, November 27.

On Monday, Cllr Renshaw told a meeting of the planning committee at Hartley Wintney Parish Council that Hart faced a number of risks in its decision making.

These included the claim that Hart’s recent public consultation on strategy for future housing was “flawed” because it did not make clear its new settlement option involved Winchfield, he said.

Cllr Renshaw added: “A group of residents will be looking at paying planning consultants and solicitors. As far as I’m concerned experts we will be getting will be top London. It’s going to cost but we will do that.”

The meeting heard several Hartley Wintney residents went to the Cabinet meeting to voice their concerns about the plan.

Clerk Leah Coney said Hartley Wintney Parish Council sent a letter to Hart’s joint chief executive Daryl Phillips detailing its concerns, but had not received a reply.

Cllr Cathy Roberts, parish council chairman, said: “There is a lot of feeling here. We certainly do not want to start up our own action group, but I think we need to be as supportive as possible to Winchfield. We would like to help.”

Meanwhile, the district council took to social media site Twitter to answer criticism of the Cabinet’s decision.

Its official account stated: “The council has not made any decision to agree a new settlement at Winchfield.

“Area to be explored and tested further. No final decision until next summer. The final decision will be subject to full public consultation and independent assessment by an inspector appointed by the Secretary of State.”