Manor Parks Pitt: Developers questioned on fitting homes on half site

The Manor Parks masterplan was released last July and shows that 50 per cent of the site will be retained as green space.

The question was asked at the latest webinar by Bloor Homes, which was about the scheme's plans for sport and leisure facilities. 

A viewer called Andrew said: “Beautifully presented as always, like you are doing Winchester a favour. In reality, 1,000 homes are going to be squeezed into 50 per cent of this relatively small site. Currently it is 100 per cent green and leisure oriented. How can this be progress?” 

James Matcham, strategic land director at Bloor Homes, said: “This is a very big site, there's 170 acres, it's massive. We're saying that half of this will be kept as green space which is pretty good by development standards. I'm confident we can achieve the balance. 

“We appreciate this will be a significant change for the site, but hopefully it's positive change. The purpose of the sport survey is to identify the local need. Nothing is fixed yet. This is aspirational. We have a pretty unique opportunity. This gives us flexibility."

READ MORE: Manor Parks: New image released of what lido could look like

The developer has partnered with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to include tennis and padel courts. 

Sophie Curthoys, from the LTA property team, said: "As well as tennis, we're looking to introduce padel courts. Padel is a cross between tennis and squash and it's huge in South America and Spain. There is a really big pool of people who could be introduced to padel. 

"In Winchester, there aren't a huge number of options for people who don't want to be part of a formal membership structure. This facility won't be a members' club, it will be a community facility."

Will Gardner, director of The Environmental Dimension Partnership, said: "The stewardship of nature is at the heart of the proposals. Outdoor spaces will be at the centre of the community. We want this to encourage health and wellbeing. 

"More than half of the site will be maintained as green space, the majority of which will be habitat creation. It would be good to include a 5km parkrun on the site. There will be provisions for allotments or community gardens. Also, orchards and hedgerows for foraging opportunities. 

"It would be good to have a hub centred around the existing golf clubhouse, to make the best use of it. There could also be facilities for local sports clubs like boxing or gymnastics."

For more details about the scheme, visit manor-parks.com/webinars.