DEVELOPERS, who want to build a new town at Micheldever Station, are calling for a 'cross-border approach' to development at Popham airfield. 

The O’Flynn Group is proposing a 6,000 home new town on 1,250 acres of farmland surrounding Micheldever Station.

This is close to Popham Airfield which has been earmarked for 3,000 homes in the latest draft of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's local plan. The development is known as Popham Garden Village.

Fears have been raised by Micheldever new town opponents and Winchester city councillors over the impact the 3,000-home Popham development would have on the north of the Winchester district. 

The O’Flynn Group is also suggesting that the land to the south of the A303 junction at Micheldever Station be considered as a potential site for a new hospital for Hampshire. 

Basingstoke Gazette: Plans for Micheldever new town

A spokesman for the developer said: “What is needed is a cross boundary collaboration between the two councils to explore how the excellent existing transport infrastructure at Micheldever Station (with both road and rail links) provides a logical starting point for a new settlement to help meet the housing and employment needs of both planning authorities. 

“In our detailed submission to Basingstoke and Deane Council, we have recommended that a cross-boundary approach should be adopted to help plan for a sustainable new community, with the opportunity to share infrastructure to meet the needs of the new community. 

“In addition, we continue to make the case that Winchester district’s current approach to its local plan is failing to address the extent of the unmet housing need from the neighbouring local authorities on its southern border. The council’s current strategy needs to be refocused to look for land in the north of the district to provide a more balanced distribution across the district, allowing the housing planned for in the south of the district to address the unmet needs from its neighbours to the south.

Basingstoke Gazette: Popham Airfield

“In our view, the area around Micheldever Station provides the best solution to this problem. It would meet the needs of Winchester and Hampshire more widely, and specifically address unmet housing needs by enabling existing large-scale planned growth at North Whiteley and West of Waterlooville within Winchester district to return to their original function of meeting the unmet housing needs of south Hampshire. 

“Finally, with the proposal for major development at Popham Airfield, the case for re-opening the consideration of where is the right site for the new NHS hospital is also strong, to site the hospital more centrally between the three major towns it will serve.

“With growth planned for the area, the case for siting the new combined North Hampshire NHS hospital development on the south side of the A303 junction in proximity to the station at Micheldever grows much stronger. It provides an excellent alternative location for a new hospital, better located in reach of all the communities within its catchment compared to the proposals for a new site at Junction 7 or rebuilding at the existing hospital site in Basingstoke.”