Concerns raised for Winchester district's southern parishes (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Concerns raised for Winchester district's southern parishes

9:04pm Tuesday 23rd March 2010 in

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COUNCIL chiefs raised concerns that thousands of houses could be built in the southern parts of the Winchester district.

Fears were raised that the countryside between Bishop’s Waltham, Wickham and Waltham Chase might eventually disappear.

It came as Winchester City Council took another look at its 20-year strategy for the district.

It has to include details on where to build more than 12,000 homes by 2026, which have been demanded by the Government.

The council sent its first draft to Westminster last year, but it was sent back for further work.

The Government comments included that it was not necessary to set limits on how many homes should be built in villages in market towns.

But the limits should stay, city council chiefs argued, to make sure they are not saturated by new homes in the wrong places.

It comes after Fareham Borough Council revealed plans for a 7,000-home ‘eco town’ south of Wickham earlier this month.

Cllr Frank Pearson, who represents Swanmore and Newtown on Winchester City Council, warned colleagues about the amount of house building.

He raised concerns that Fareham might merge with Wickham, which could also apply to Waltham Chase and Bishop’s Waltham in the long term.

“If you put too many houses in these settlements then we will be shrinking the gaps,” he said.

Cllr Patricia Stallard, who represents Denmead, said: “That raises alarm bells for myself and other people who live in the southern parishes because it looks like we’re going to have more homes dumped on us.”

Cllr Freddie Allgood, who also represents Denmead, said: “I wish the Government wouldn’t keep interfering. It’s a local issue and we should be deciding it, and not some faceless official.”

The council hopes to publish its 20-year strategy in October, and will be putting the final touches to it over the summer.

Last year, the majority of councillors voted for Barton Farm at Winchester to be included in the plan as a possible long-term site for housing.

The decision was made despite a high-profile campaign, which included hundreds of people marching through the city in protest.