A DEVELOPMENT of up to 3,520 houses on land west of Basingstoke could be given the go ahead next week.

The Manydown development will see a 250 acre country park, two primary schools, land for a secondary school set aside, local centres incorporating shops, cafes and restaurants, public open spaces as well as gypsy and traveller pitches.

The application for outline planning permission will be decided by councillors on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's Development Control committee on Wednesday afternoon.

The principle of developing on the site will be discussed, whilst the details of the accesses to the site will be scrutinised.

The plans have been put together by BDBC and Hampshire County Council.

There will be four main accesses to the main street of the development - from the A339 at Roman Road roundabout, from Roman Road opposite Winklebury Way, and two onto the B3400 between Worting and Oakley.

The main access to the A339 will see the roundabout replaced with two new linked roundabouts. Traffic that would would want to exit that roundabout onto Roman Road would have to drive through the northernmost part of the site, along the main street.

A planning application was initially submitted in 2017, and has been updated numerous times, the most recent of which came in December.

The garden community has ten principles which it has been designed against, which include economic vitality, greenery everywhere and homes and opportunities for all.

40 per cent of the homes built will also be affordable, and the scheme will be delivered in three, two-part phases.

The application was due to be decided in March, but the meeting was postponed because of the coronavirus crisis.

Chair of the borough council’s Development Control Committee Cllr Paul Miller said: “Manydown is the largest site allocated for housing in the Basingstoke and Deane Local Plan and, as it was ready for the committee to consider in March, we were keen for it to be scheduled for a meeting as soon as possible.

"Given the size and complexity of the development and the amount of information councillors will need to consider, the meeting on Wednesday 8 July will only consider this outline planning application.”

BDBC Development Control committee:

  • Conservatives (6): P Miller, D Leeks, N Robinson, D George, S Godesen, A Court
  • Labour (3): R Cooper, S Grant, A McCormick
  • Lib Dems (1): M Bound
  • Independents (2): D Potter, C Tomblin