Halterworth Development

The further development of Halterworth was approved on appeal recently. Our Planning and Natural Environment Committees both submitted robust arguments opposing the development. Anna Duignan, the new Chair of our Planning Committee, has summarised the issues below.

The Romsey and District Society sent in its objections to the application, as did 148 local objectors and the Romsey Town Council. Subjects like the loss of the countryside location in the gap, contrary to the Local Plan policies and highway/traffic concerns etc. have now been overridden by the revised housing calculations.
Soon after the decision to refuse the application, the new government changed the rules for requirements for the measures of housing land supply. From the position of having 7.2 years of adequate housing development, the Council now has only 2.7 years supply - well below the revised government requirements. This leaves the adopted Local Plan for TVBC ‘out of date’ as it does not comply with the revised government rules on housing provision and allocation. In these circumstances and notwithstanding the fact that the appeal site off Halterworth Lane is described by the Council as being on part of the ‘local gap’ between Romsey and North Baddesley, the appeal Inspector resolved to allow the appeal.
A few weeks before the start of the public inquiry the Council publicly declared that because of its current shortfall in housing supply (by virtue of the revised rules set out in the National Planning Framework) it reported that the appeal should be allowed. Accordingly the inquiry was mainly held on the basis of sorting out planning conditions and the terms of a legal agreement to secure such matters as affordable housing, financial contributions for education, medical servicing, off site highway works etc. It can be noted that during the inquiry event the Inspector enabled all public speaking as requested by those attending the event but no doubt to their frustration now as the appeal has been allowed.