Barton Farm approved. What happens now? - TrustNews Dec 12
Following the Secretary of State’s decision to allow the Barton Farm development to go ahead, the Trust issued the following statement, published in the Hampshire Chronicle and on their website:
Trust sets out best practice for Barton Farm development
The City of Winchester Trust is very disappointed that the Secretary of State has not only decided in favour of the Barton farm development but without improving what is currently proposed. The Trust has always opposed piecemeal development in the City’s incomparable setting, but acknowledges the need for affordable housing and the past designation of the area for growth, which have led to this decision.
If Barton Farm must now be developed, the Trust will work with the City Council and Cala Homes to achieve the best possible result. Although all these may not be possible, our wish list includes the following:
1. Reduction of the built-up area to keep it south of the tree-lined ridge to preserve an element of the green wedge and create a more sustainable development; increasing the density to that of the nearby area of Hyde would easily achieve this.
2. Retention of the present line of the main road avoiding the proposed diversion of all traffic through the new residential area and the loss of the historic route into the City. Andover Road could then be reduced to single carriageway with wide, tree-lined verges like the best of our other radial roads.
3. Re-phasing the development to start at the south and spread north from there. Not only is this a more natural form of growth but, should the economy cause delays or even cessation, it would avoid scattered groups of houses in the countryside.
4. Investigation of numerous other aspects such as the best means of achieving the 40% of affordable homes, the best possible reduction of the carbon footprint, exemplary building and landscape design, etc.
Since then, we have discovered that there is little chance of achieving any of the first three objectives because the decision effectively approves everything in Cala’s outline application, which had only been rejected by WCC on the grounds that the development of 2000 homes at this time was premature. The area of the site, the change in the route of Andover Road and the phasing of the development were all agreed and specifically approved by the Secretary of State. Moreover, the road diversion had been agreed in detail with HCC, the highway authority. The only way that any of these things might be changed would be if Cala wished to change them, which is highly unlikely, though we shall try to persuade them.
The detailed planning application that is now necessary must be “substantially” in accordance with the outline approval. Much of this detail will be covered by a Design Code to be submitted in the Spring that sets standards of design and execution. This is where the Trust can now begin to influence what is built and to this end we are again combining with WinACC to work with the City and Cala to achieve the best possible outcome. This process starts with a meeting on December 1st held by our two organisations with invited officials and representatives of other bodies to establish just what is within the scope of the Design Code.