Winchester preservation watchdogs snub alternative Silver Hill plan (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Winchester preservation watchdogs snub alternative Silver Hill plan

5:49pm Friday 9th September 2011 in Silver Hill By Andrew Napier

Winchester preservation watchdogs have dismissed the last-ditch alternative vision for the Silver Hill Renaissance as too late.

The City of Winchester Trust believes that any new scheme could run the risk of taking decades to complete.

Last week two local architects, Hugh Petter, of Adam Urbanism, and Huw Thomas proposed a new smaller and piecemeal scheme, arguing the official scheme is too big and would wreck the city centre.

A developer, Henderson Global Investors, and the city council are proposing more than 200 homes, shops, a bus station, medical centre and car park on the land between Friarsgate and The Broadway. It has planning permission.

Iain Patton, chairman of the trust, said: “Anything from these two architects must always gain attention.

“However the trust considers that further delay, even if that were possible, in regenerating this rundown part of the city is not in the interests of Winchester.

“The trust is opposed to piecemeal development of the site. When would it ever be finished? There is an argument for different styles but if we wait for London and Henley (who owns part of the area and has put forward its own scheme) they may say ‘we don’t want to do it yet’ and we will have to wait 20 years.”

Mr Patton said the trust was happy to some minor variations such as the number of one-bedroom flats or in the size of the car park.

A key factor against any fresh scheme is that if the current plans are killed there would now have to be a European Union-wide tendering process.