Sir John Moore Barracks: council hopes greenspace will be retained

As previously reported, plans are being drawn up to build between 750 and 1,000 new homes after it is vacated by the Ministry of Defence in 2026, with consultations taking place in November and December last year.

At a meeting of Winchester City Council Kings Worthy parish councillor Signe Biddle asked the cabinet if the administration will fight for and support the green gap on the northern part of the site.

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Cllr Jackie Porter (Image: Contributed)Cllr Jackie Porter, Cabinet member for Place and the Local Plan, said: “In planning, green gaps are normally referred to as settlement gaps and used to refer to space where development is not permitted in order to separate built-up communities. For example, our draft local plan has one-to-five settlement gaps between Winchester and Littleton.

“The local plan also states that the developer of Sir John Moore Barracks should take into careful consideration the settlement gap and other green infrastructure between the proposed site and Littleton.

“The area to the north of the Sir John Moore Barracks site can’t be a green gap because there is no settlement on the northern side of it requiring separation, so green gap separation is not something we could successfully defend via the local plan process. I fully support the Sir John Moore site having strong green infrastructure for the benefit of the natural world, the residents who will live there and their neighbouring communities. We await the outcome of just two matters before any confirmation can be given.”

Ms Biddle then asked if the council would support the area being put forward as a conservation site, and if a nature reserve could be built there, as proposed by the Littleton and Harestock Parish Council.

Sir John Moore Barracks (Image: Google Street View)SEE ALSO: Police close Otterbourne road due to icy conditions

Cllr Porter responded: “The designation of conservation areas is a highly technical decision. It is not a political process.

“One of the things that came up at the consultations is that many people were looking forward to walking dogs and enjoying the green spaces there, so a SANG (Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace) was offered there as an alternative solution, protecting the ecology but allowing recreation in the same area.

“I hope from this we can come up with something that suits everyone.”

Much of the barracks site is a nature haven having never been intensively farmed. The MoD worked to boost its ecological value following the opening of the barracks in 1986.