A BOROUGH councillor is strongly opposing a major development aimed at building hundreds of houses on a Basingstoke golf course.

Cllr David McIntyre called the Weybrook Park Golf Club plan “wrong” and said he cannot support the proposal.

Bewley Homes has been consulting with residents in Rooksdown and borough councillors on its proposals to build around 250 homes on land at Weybrook Park Golf Club.

The housebuilder initially wanted to build 350 homes, but after submitting a screening opinion to the borough council it has reduced this to 250.

READ MORE: Bewley Homes plans to build 250 homes at Weybrook Park

However, Conservative Cllr McIntyre is strongly objecting to the proposed development.

He told the Gazette: “Whilst no one would argue that we need to build more homes, those developments must be sympathetic to residents’ wishes and not simply ride roughshod over our local plan.

“This development is wrong, it’s being proposed in one of our strategic gaps, a fundamental planning protection, designed to prevent coalescence between Basingstoke and our rural villages.”

RPS Consulting Services, acting on behalf of Bewley Homes, submitted the screening opinion to the borough council in October 2021, asking whether an environmental impact assessment is needed.

The 12-hectare site off the A340 Aldermaston Road includes part of the 27-hole Weybrook Park Golf Course. However, Bewley Homes said the golf course will be relocated to an adjacent site to ensure there is no loss in recreational provision.

The Basingstoke councillor said: “This isn’t about NIMBY’ism. Basingstoke currently has a growth rate nearly twice the national average and we have extant planning permission for over 7,000 homes in our borough. That is over eight years’ worth of growth. This is simply about protecting our rural heritage.

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“For that reason, I cannot support this speculative application.”

A Bewley Homes spokesperson said: "At a meeting in Sherborne St John village hall on 23 November 2022, Bewley Homes presented its proposals for the housing scheme at Weybrook Golf Club. This was following two public consultation events previously held which the plans were generally positively received by locals, with the site being backed by the council for inclusion in a new local plan. 

"Whilst Bewley suggested that the housing need for the area is significant and the current local plan proposals are not currently delivering, the circa 60 residents attending the meeting expressed their view that there is no housing need in Sherborne St John, or indeed Basingstoke. Their feedback was the region has over delivered in the region for a long period of time.

"However, this does not represent the reality for the nearly 5,000 households on the council’s waiting list (see chart) who are in genuine and immediate need for a home.  In denying this need the current administration are doing a disservice to the disenfranchised population who do not seem to have a voice over housing matters. It is our belief the history of Basingstoke should be remembered. To recap, it was allocated as a London overspill New Town in 1961 and developed from the end of the 1960s with payments from the London County Council, leading to an ambitious growth which has served the town well in economic terms over the years.

"Whilst Councillor McIntyre reflects that the proposals conflict with the Local Plan it should be pointed out that this is now technically ‘out of date’. There is no prospect for a replacement soon, and the policies have limited effect, with the Council unable to demonstrate a five year housing land supply.  As explained to the residents at the parish council meeting the lack of delivery for the substantial allocation at Manydown is due to contractual issues which the council and the former landowners are trying to renegotiate, but until this is resolved it is unlikely to come forward.”