Our Purpose

The Dever Society was set up in 1990 to fight proposals for a 5,000 dwelling new town on farmland surrounding Micheldever Station, a small village in the Mid-Hampshire Downs, an intensely rural area between Basingstoke and Winchester. The farmland was owned by the insurance company Eagle Star (part of Zurich insurance), and over the years the proposed new town grew from 5,000 to 12,500 homes. With the support of local councils and MPs and large numbers of people in Hampshire and beyond, we have so far successfully opposed the new town proposals and safeguarded this important part of the Mid-Hampshire Downs and Dever Valley.

In 2017, Zurich sold the land to the billionaire Irish racehorse trainer John Magnier, and in 2018 he and his developer O’Flynn Group, submitted to Winchester City Council a plan for a 6,000 dwelling new town on the same site. After the Council applies the required housing density for developments in the countryside, the town increases to some 8,300 dwellings.

The Dever Society strongly believes that this is the wrong place to build the houses that Winchester needs and will continue to oppose a new town at Micheldever.

Our Mission

The Dever Society’s mission is to conserve, protect and celebrate Hampshire’s rural heartland. In particular, we are concerned with the conservation and enhancement of the Mid-Hampshire Downs and the Dever Valley, which comprise the rural heartland of the county.  

These areas provide a unique and valued resource for those who visit and enjoy the countryside, as well as forming an essential feature of the agricultural economy of the county.

While the Society’s principal focus remains the ongoing battle against the new town, it also works to protect this area of Hampshire from inappropriate development and plays an active role in the planning of the wider area.

Our Landscape

The Dever Valley is located within the beautiful Hampshire Downs in the South of England. Large areas of the rolling rural landscape were once wooded, but gradual clearance over thousands of years has created today’s fertile farmland.

Birds, insects and other wildlife thrive in unsprayed field margins and buzzards and red kites are also increasing in number.

The extensive Micheldever Wood is carpeted with bluebells and primroses each spring. The woodland is open to the public and its well-defined tracks are ideal for walkers. 

The River Dever winds down the valley to join the world-famous chalk stream the River Test – both are popular for fishing.

The villages, with their attractive thatched cottages and welcoming country pubs, are steeped in heritage and organise many cultural events throughout the year.

Our Night Skies

Did you know that the Dever Valley is situated within the last undeveloped area between London and the South Coast and is celebrated by star gazers for its dark skies?

It’s no wonder we want to preserve this special place.

Join us

Please support us in our fight against the new town by joining the Society. Membership is free.

If you'd like to play a more active role in our work, why not volunteer?