Sites such as a Winchester city centre car park and the plot of a former country home are down as new areas for development in the latest draft of the local plan.

It sets out how development including housing, business construction and infrastructure will evolve up to 2039.

The council has started the engagement stage of its local plan examination, and a draft is being prepared for public consultation where local residents will have their say on the future vision of the district.

One key omission was the potential for a new town at Micheldever. 

A spokesman for O’Flynn Group, the promoters of the land at Micheldever Station, said: “The Winchester local plan process is only at the opening stage with several years of work still required to get to a final adopted plan. 

"We have some fundamental doubts about the basis on which the plan is being progressed and the decision made in 2021 to protect the rural north of the district from meaningful levels of new housing allocations at the expense of the south of the district where a disproportionate amount of new housing will be concentrated. 

"In the meantime we will continue to engage with the local plan process and make the case that our Micheldever Station proposals offer a better way of addressing Winchester’s long-term housing need.”

Tessa Robertson is chair of the Dever Society which was launched to oppose any potential plans.

She said: "The good news is that as we hoped, new settlements are ruled out in the draft document and Micheldever new town is not mentioned at all. We hope very much that this will go forward to the cabinet meeting unchanged."

Here is the list of new sites:

Sir John Moore Barracks, long earmarked for development, has been allocated for between 750 – 1,000 houses on an 86-hectare site.

An 850-space Park & Ride facility and employment provisions have also been allocated.

St Peters Car Park, in the city centre, has been allocated for 30 houses on a site of 0.44 hectares. Opened some 30 years ago it was only supposed to have been temporary. 

The land west of Courtenay Road, near Abbotts Barton, has been assigned 100 homes, with the provision of a small sports pitch.

In Bishop's Waltham, a site to the north of Rareridge Lane has been allocated 100 houses on a 5.2 hectare site. 

Hampshire Chronicle:

Land at Colden Common Farm has been put forward for 45 houses in 5.7 hectares.

Agricultural land on Main Road, in Colden Common, has been allocated 35 houses on a 1.4 hectare site.

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A small area for ten houses has been lined up at the land adjoining 85 Church Lane, in Colden Common.

In Kings Worthy, a site of a former children's home at Cornerways & Merrydale has been earmarked for houses. The site would have 30 houses on 1.3 hectares of land.

An area of 4.7 hectares near the Cart & Horses pub has been allocated 70 houses which includes housing for older people. On the local plan document, it said: "It is listed in the Hampshire Gardens Trust inventory of Hampshire gardens and parks as the former site of Kings Worthy House and its grounds and is subject to ‘blanket’ tree preservation orders, although many of the trees are in poor condition. It forms part of the settlement gap between Kings Worthy and Abbots Worthy."

In Otterbourne, a 55-home site has been assigned to Gladman Land off Main Road, which is 6.4 hectares. The site is currently vacant but was formerly in agricultural use.

In South Wonston, an agricultural site has been allocated for the land at West Hill Road North for 40 houses on 1.8 hectares.

In Wickham, an area called Ravenswood has been earmarked for 200 houses, agriculture, open space and a nature reserve. The site is 65.78 hectares.

Cllr Jackie Porter, cabinet member for place and the local plan said: “We’re really grateful for the input people have given so far. It’s helped make the draft plan better.  It’s also helped us tackle three critical priorities – setting the highest environmental standards we can for housing and commercial development – making sure we have tougher standards for affordable housing that developers have to achieve – and going for brownfield first development to protect our countryside. We’re looking forward to hearing from residents to help us improve the plan still further.”

The draft local plan will go to a cabinet meeting in November for approval before the official public consultation is launched.