CPRE Hampshire objects to Popham airfield plan

CPRE Hampshire has objected to Basingstoke Council’s plans for a 3,000 home ‘garden village’ on Popham airfield. in their response to Basingstoke’s draft local plan, they say:

“CPRE Hampshire cannot support the creation of a new settlement of this size and scale in the open countryside, separated as it would be from the other urban areas in the borough and eroding the open landscape between Basingstoke and Winchester. Further, there are issues relating to sustainability and water which add to the unsuitability of this site for the number of dwellings and ancillary services proposed.”

They go on to say:

“The relationship of the site to Micheldever station is unconvincing. Whilst the detail would emerge through a masterplan and so we don’t yet know about accessibility arrangements between the development and the station, the physical and perceived separation between the two is significant. People using the station would need to go under the A303 and the underpass is relatively tight and complex to accommodate a high quality separate active travel route that would enable safe and attractive active travel between the new residential areas and the station. Whilst the developer would potentially propose a dedicated bus service, that has issues over longer term funding and real viability. That leads us to expect that the car would remain the dominant travel mode which would undermine the sustainability of the site and the council’s climate change aspirations.”

You can read their full response by clicking here.