Huge greenfield developments proposed in southwest Basingstoke

Basingstoke council has recently decided to support a huge greenfield housing development close to Micheldever Station, across the A303 at Popham airfield, in a scheme that could blight the area for years to come.

The development proposed on Popham airfield includes a ‘garden village’ of 3,000 houses, 50% larger than Barton Farm/Kings Barton. This would have major impacts on our area and is only a stone’s throw from the boundary with Winchester District. We believe it could also make a new town at Micheldever more likely. Despite this, Basingstoke has gone ahead with the proposals without consulting Winchester City Council, let alone local residents.

On top of this, Basingstoke is also proposing a new development of 7,500 new homes which they are calling ‘Southern Manydown’, just to the east of North Waltham.

The proposed developments are included in Basingstoke council’s recently published Local Plan Update (known as the Regulation 18 draft). The draft is out for consultation and the deadline for responses is 4 March.

The Dever Society is extremely concerned about these two developments and will be making a strong response to Basingstoke council. If you too are concerned then we urge you to respond to the consultation. It doesn’t matter whether you live in Basingstoke or Winchester - your views will still be counted.

If you are a Winchester resident - perhaps you live in Micheldever or the Dever Valley - then please also email your concerns to Winchester City Council, as they will also be responding to Basingstoke.

We are putting together some points for you to use in your responses, as well as information on how to respond, so watch this space. Our own response will also be available soon.