BOLD regeneration plans for one of Winchester’s council housing estates are moving forward.

Residents will get a chance to comment on a scheme to revamp Stanmore after its official launch at Winchester Town Forum on Thursday, March 21.

A month-long public consultation will include exhibitions where residents can join planning consultants, council officers and civic leaders, to discuss ways to improve the estate.

Venues and dates for the public consultation starting on Monday, March 25, still have to be decided.

Winchester city councillor Jamie Scott, who has lived all his life in Stanmore, chaired a steering group which worked with consultants Broadway Malyan, commissioned to draw up a planning
framework or masterplan.

The Tory councillor and former community worker said: “The whole objective is to create a better future for the residents of Stanmore which I am proud to be part of.”

As exclusively revealed in the Hampshire Chronicle last week, consultants commissioned by the city
council suggested the estate has space to build 413 new affordable homes over the next 10 to 15 years.

There are also proposals to tackle run down parks and public spaces, as well as improving footpaths and parking.

Central to the scheme is the creation of a new community centre on the site of the former New Queens Head pub in Stanmore Lane, which the city council wants to buy.

One proposal is to move the Carroll Centre, 8th Winchester Scouts Hut, and Stanmore and District
Community Centre in Somers Close, to a modern multi-use building on the cleared pub site.

New homes could then be built on land vacated by the three buildings and part of the playing field off Somers Close, as part of the council’s new house building programme.

The Chronicle obtained a copy of the consultants’ draft planning framework which suggested locations including 30 new homes in Somers Close, and 200 fronting Wavell Way.

The scheme could see existing properties knocked down and garages relocated to make way for more new homes as well as loss of some green space and allotments.

It is not yet known the number of existing properties that could be demolished under the proposals.
The consultants’ draft report suggested 77, but there was a mistake and the figure should
have been 49.

Council officers say they will contact residents in homes and streets directly affected by the scheme
before the start of the public consultation.Council officers are currently assessing the scheme’s feasibility and the final proposals to be consulted upon could change.

Eloise Appleby, assistant director of economy and communities at the city council, said playing fields were strictly protected under planning policy, and any loss had to be compensated.

“We want to get more people in Stanmore active so taking away opportunities to exercise and have
fun is not one of our objectives but to enhance life here. Green space has all sorts of important roles for people in Stanmore. We want to protect that but that does not mean putting up a fence around every bit.

"Any good plan has some degree of compromise and negotiation to get the best outcomes for everyone.”

Stanmore has been admired for its garden suburb-style and fine views. But the estate has changed
over the years as council homes have been sold-off under Right to Buy.

Today, nearly 20 per cent of homes are in multiple occupation, including rented student housing. Locals have complained this has led to problems such as bins left on streets, unkept gardens, noise and lack of parking.