One point that doesn’t get much attention is how long will we have to endure jams of construction traffic if Shapley Heath goes ahead?
The first clue comes from the latest housing trajectory that was published as part of the latest bid for funding.
Shapley Heath Housing Trajectory Sept 2020
This shows construction starting in 2024 and running to 2040, or 16 years. Roadworks, traffic jams, noise and pollution for sixteen long years. Longer if support from Homes England stops.
However, the build rate is far higher than Hart’s total annual requirement. Proponents of Shapley Heath say that the build rate will be constrained at or below the overall annual requirement. If the maximum rate of build is constrained to the 286dpa requirement, then 5,000 houses will until 2043, or 19 years.
As we know, the developers aren’t content with “only” 5,000 houses. If Shapley Heath is built out to fulfill their ambition of 10,000, then they won’t finish building until 2060. 36 years of continuous disruption.
Lightwood Strategic Shapley Heath 10000
Can somebody explain how 16 or 36 years of continuous building will enhance the quality of life of anybody in Hart. We are thinking particularly Fleet and Church Crookham residents who won’t get any direct infrastructure support in their area. This is the part of Hart that has the biggest infrastructure deficit. Decades of noise and pollution, but no money to improve the immediate local area.