Hartley Wintney residents turn out to oppose Winchfield new town
About 150 concerned Hartley Wintney residents came out to hear about Hart Council’s Local Plan consultation this morning at Victoria Hall. It was very pleasing to see such a large number of people opposing the plans for a new town at Winchfield.
We Heart Hart is very grateful to Hartley Wintney Parish Council for organising the event, and for letting us speak. We had many messages of support and encouragement, before. during and after the meeting. We only ask that these messages of support are converted into actual votes in the consultation.
We reiterated our main points that:
Hart is being asked to build too many houses. Hart councillors should be thorough in their analysis of the revised Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA), and be robust in challenging the housing numbers and in asking Rushmoor and Surrey Heath to meet their own needs.
Second, there is a brownfield solution to our housing needs, even if we accept the current housing numbers. We showed how a combination of the brownfield SHLAA sites and the disused offices identified by Stonegate, can be used to meet our remaining housing need in full.
Third, there is a lot of misinformation being spread about the supposed infrastructure benefits of a new town. We currently have a £78m infrastructure funding deficit which a new town will do nothing to address, and of course, Hart Council have not been able to explain how they will fund the £300m costs of a new town.
Finally, a new town won’t meet the needs of the elderly and won’t deliver starter homes for the young.
Councillor Steve Forster did turn up to speak as well, but was politely asked to sit down again after alienating most of the people in the room. Some interesting insight and support for We Heart Hart ideas was also given by COunty Councillor David Simpson and district councillor Andrew Renshaw. Tristram Cary of Winchfield Action Group also spoke, setting out four key reasons to oppose the new town, in line with our thinking.
If you would like to join these Hartley Wintney residents in objecting to the new town idea, we urge you to respond to the Hart District Council consultation about the Local Plan and ask them to think again. We have created a dedicated consultation page and two guides to responding to the consultation that are available on the downloads below. The comments are designed to be cut and pasted into the boxes provided. It will be very powerful if you could edit the comments into your own words. Please do find time to respond to the consultation and play your part in saving our countryside.
Full version:
2 Minute version:
However, I do believe we are being asked to build too many houses:
My analysis and Alan Wenban-Smith’s analysis on this page:
https://wehearthart.co.uk/hart-are-being-asked-to-build-too-many-houses/
The land supply is here. This shows what has been counted and what hasn’t:
http://www.hart.gov.uk/sites/default/files/4_The_Council/Policies_and_published_documents/Planning_policy/Hart%205%20yr%20supply%20statement%20at%201st%20October%202015.pdf
I think it is that they have already been counted when they got planning permission therefore 2500-3000 units needed up to 2032 are additional on top of what is current and have not gone through planning yet.
David Turver are these developments accounted for? Certainly, councillors have said there has got to be other development as well as Winchfield but they do not seem to be willing to challenge the numbers
As I understand it, many of these ‘units’ are not included in the overall plan, why I cannot say. For instance, some of the building in Hartley Wintney High Street appears not to be ‘counted’ in. No doubt someone will correct me if I am wrong …
Thing is, it’s not just Hart residents this affects. I was born and lived in Yateley for 30 years, had to relocate to Rushmoor, but we border Hart where we are. This affects us too, not only from a proximity point of view, but from a natural desire to preserve the countryside as well. It affects us all in reality. Also, it’s not just about Hartley Winchook, X number of houses are ‘needed’ in Hart allegedly, but this doesn’t seem to include the development at Yateley Urnside or the development at Swan Lakes in Yateley, plus others in the area (Church Crookham etc.) so, my point is; who is doing the counting? Surely these other developments mean the criteria has been reached or nearlt, thus negating the need for an urban sprawl at Winchfield. It seems to me, and I’m sure I’m not wholly correct, that these smaller developments are being snuck in and forgotten, or swept aside and not included in the house count. Any comments welcome.
Cllr Forster was invited to debate with WeHeartHart and turned it down, so why then did he try to hijack the HW meeting. And why scaremonger, talking about developing HW carpark, and high rise flats?
MIxed. I understand Elvetham was in favour of new town, as was CC. I think I won some people over in Hook.
Oh missed them. Knew we couldn’t make the Winchfield one. How did the others go?
There have been meetings all over the district. I and some WAG members have been to some.
Are there going to be other meetings in other parishes?
I suspect if we heart Hart were given an even playing field and allowed to speak all parishs across Hart then a similar respond would happen even in Fleet.
Cllr Forster tried his usual scaremongering tactics. Then would not leave the floor when residents made it clear they had not come to hear him. He does not do the Conservatives he represents any credit
Feedback from attendees was that Cllr. Forster did his cause a great deal of damage at the meeting. His inability to read the room, coupled – once again – with a lack of tangible facts to support his case, showed just how weak the Hart DC approach is.