A DECISION due today over controversial plans for a multi-storey car park on the edge of Winchester have been deferred at the last moment.

The city council planning committee had been set decide a second proposal for the Vaultex site, off Barfield Close, in Bar End.

But a solicitor's letter sent at 10.35am this morning has persuaded councillors to postpone the meeting.

Senior legal officer Catherine Knight told the committee this afternoon that the council had published fresh papers about their plans for a 287-space car park.

"We received the letter from objectors' solicitors asserting they had insufficient time to consider their responses."

Ms Knight said the council disagreed but in the "interest of fairness" had agreed to defer the matter.

The solicitor's letter said: "The Council has produced a large number of very late documents. Whilst some of those respond to material which the Council had for between 9 and 14 days, the increase in the height of the scheme is unrelated to those representations. The new material is contradictory and needs careful analysis.

"We have only been able to carry out a limited exercise, which is set out here. The other numerous interested parties, such as the City of Winchester Trust, Winchester College and local residents will have had no such opportunity. In the circumstances it is not possible to deal with the Council’s late material fairly or in a manner in which the committee will be able to reach informed and lawful conclusions this afternoon."

The first application has been approved and building work has been launched prompting opponents living on Domum Road to seek a judicial review which is due to be heard at the High Court in London on November 25.

The committee had been due to hear from objectors Richard Harwood QC, and former city councillors Patrick Davies and Fiona Mather.

Also due to speak was ward councillor Charles Radcliffe and cabinet member Cllr Martin Tod.

Speaking in support were due to have been Catherine Bartlett -Agent, Andy Hickman - Winchester City Council Head of Programme, Jon Charlton- contractor Wilmot Dixon, Sarah Jones-Morris - landscape architect, Paul Roebuck - ecologist, Paul Ingram- Lighting Advisor, Stephen Booi - acoustics advisor, Malek Thomas-Daylight/Sunlight assessor, Andrew Fraser-Urquhart QC.