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The Fight for the Soul of Watership Down’s Woodland

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The Fight for the Soul of Watership Down’s Woodland

Tim Champney

Fiction could become fact if a planning inquiry goes in favour of developers seeking to build 1000 homes on farmland featured in the novel Watership Down. As Tim Champney, Managing Director of Future Climate Info explains, nearby Berkshire and Hampshire residents have been in limbo for years, uncertain whether the site would be built on and face a battle similar to the perils that the rabbits faced in Richard Adams’ famous novel.

The inquiry into the proposed development of the Sandleford Park scheme to the south of Newbury has opened, with the developer Bloor Homes and Sandleford Farm Partnership appealing West Berkshire District Council’s decision to refuse the scheme. Another company, Donnington New Homes, has applied to build 440 homes on a separate part of the site. This is the latest in a long line of refusals dating back to when the land was first allocated for development in 2012. Plans for the 114 hectare site include an 80-unit care facility; creation of a new country park, a local community centre and more land for expansion of the Park House Academy School.

“Contradictory” Proposals in the Wrong Place

These were rejected in October 2020 in the grounds that the two developers had not worked together to make a “holistic” development and had delivered an “uncertain and contradictory” proposal. Protest group Say No to Sandleford said the proposals would “surround the ancient woodlands in a wall of concrete”, described by Richard Adams as one of the “loveliest woods in the south of England”. The developers had stated that there would be a 15m buffer between developed areas and ancient woodlands, although plans do suggest some encroachment, which could result in the loss of irreplaceable priority habitats.

West Berkshire Council’s draft local plan states the 331 acre site would be suitable for 1,500 new homes and 1,000 homes “are deliverable” by 2037. And this is the tension at the heart of the proposal – badly needed homes, but are they in the right place? The council provided 14 reasons for their refusal, primarily around sustainability, that it could have “significant effects” on European Designated Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and on the impact on vehicular access and impact on existing roads.

“Outrageous” road expansion plans

Indeed, the road scheme has caused acute concern for existing residents living close to the western side of the site that it earmarked for the Donnington Homes’ development. Having initially withdrawn a road layout proposal they resubmitted one in February this year which has more explicitly stated that Warren Road, a peaceful tree and hedge lined residential street, is proposed to be widened to “provide access to the strategic allocation at Sandleford Park”. Under the new plans, the road – currently single lane – would be widened to six metres, with twometre wide footpaths on both sides. At the east end of the road, it would extend into the new estate, with Warren House being demolished to provide the access. The road is already close to primary and secondary schools, a busy petrol station and a local Sainsbury’s store. Local councillors have described the proposal as “outrageous” and that it would only accelerate the level of traffic, noise and pollution for existing residents.

Residents in Limbo

The long suffering residents have already had to put up with the uncertainty over the development stretching over seven years since the first planning permission went in, that has affected the ability to sell their homes and clouded their day-to-day lives. In 2017, a number of additional housing developments in West Berkshire had been approved on appeal, which has meant that the council was no longer relying on the site to be able to demonstrate a five-year land supply, as required by national planning policy. But housing pressures have returned and if not here then it would need to fit somewhere to meet rising householder demand. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick called in the application for a final decision by his department, which is expected to close at the end of May 2021.

A Nationwide Pattern

Although well known locally, purchasers moving in from outside the area could be forgiven for not necessarily being aware of the development proposals at Sandleford Park, and the impact they might have if the appeal is won. Additionally, across the country thousands of developments are approved each year on less controversial landscapes which escape such scrutiny and can be a surprise to those who have recently purchased nearby property. By considering local Planning information ahead of exchange, solicitors and conveyancers can help raise their clients’ awareness of the potential for nearby developments which might impact the value or desirability of their prospective new home. You can see from the image extracts of FCI’s Premium Plus Planning Report of the area that the various submissions for the Sandleford Park development are highlighted clearly on the map and applications. The search pulls “live” planning data from the supplier at the request of each report, ensuring that the very latest available information is used to compile the search. Using FCI’s unique intelligent FCICapture technology, we seek to identify developments which, although lying outside of the search boundary.

In this instance, as can be seen on the image extract, the FCICapture function has identified the large Sandleford Park development, despite it lying outside of the dynamic search radius, whilst not inadvertently identifying and reporting on a multitude of other smaller applications not relevant to the results.

Alongside an assessment of potential issues including flood risk and contaminated land, access to this sort of information at the due diligence stage enables the homebuyer to make an informed decision. If such schemes exist nearby, it allows clients to consider the potential planning and traffic issues and loss of visual amenity that could affect their day to day lives after completion. The combination of all five assessments in one single search report offers them the complete environmental due diligence package.

For more information, contact us on 01732 755 180 or email info@futureclimateinfo.com. ■

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