Village green bid for Bushfield Camp (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Village green bid for Bushfield Camp

1:10pm Wednesday 21st December 2011 in South Winchester By Warwick Payne

A BID to make it harder to concrete over downland near Winchester will come before a public inquiry.

Campaigners hope to protect Bushfield Camp by securing ‘village green’ status.

Supermarkets once targeted it, and more recently a Knowledge Park for hi-tech firms was proposed.

The former army base has lain empty for more than 30 years and is popular with dog owners, ramblers and walkers.

Their goal to increase the site’s protection has now cleared a vital hurdle at Hampshire County Council.

It has agreed that the village green bid should go before a public inquiry early next year.

Bushfield Down Supporters Group now appears set to clash with landowners, the Church of England.

The Church Commissioners, acting on its behalf, are expected to oppose the bid.

It comes after the commissioners revealed their latest proposals for a Knowledge Park in April 2010.

Aimed at hi-tech firms, the scheme has been opposed by the City of Winchester Trust.

It has also suffered a blow in the city council’s new 20-year city district masterplan.

It argues that the park is not currently viable, and land should not be earmarked for the project.

Instead, the masterplan calls for Bushfield Camp to become an ‘opportunity site’ in case a better idea comes forward.

But campaigners hope to ensure that developers have no opportunity whatsoever to build there.

Barbara Guthrie of Bushfield Down Supporters Group said it overlooked the South Downs National Park.

She added that it was widely used by residents in St Cross, Stanmore, Oliver’s Battery and Badger Farm.

She said: “This green space should be protected. Firstly, it’s an important site environmentally, and secondly, it provides wonderful views across Winchester.

“For our children and grandchildren it’s important to preserve it in environmental and aesthetic terms.”

To secure village green status, her group must prove that there has been complete public access for 20 years.

Some parts are now fenced off, but they will argue that there were no barriers for more than two decades before that.

Several approaches were made to the Church Commissioners to ask if they would oppose the village green bid.

However, they did not respond before going to press.

The inquiry will be held in February at the earliest, subject to possible legal delays.