Chairman's Jottings - TrustNews Dec 19

Station Approach

As I am sure everybody is now aware, the City of Winchester Trust were responsible for legally challenging the outline planning approval given for Station Approach by Winchester City Council. W.C.C. consented to the quashing of the planning permission and the High Court has issued an order requiring W.C.C. to pay the Trust's legal costs.

We considered that there were a number of planning application infringements which had been disregarded as well as the fact that Historic England, The South East Design Review Panel the National Park Authority among others had all queried the context, density and height of the scheme.

All the comments sent to W.C.C. were not dissimilar in their content and one would have thought at least some of them would have sounded a warning bell, particularly as some had legal implications.

Our basic problems with the submitted scheme are:

• lt is too high and bulky leading to an overdevelopment of the site.
• The development overpowers the existing housing in Gladstone Street and also has an inactive frontage along this street.
• The scheme is out of context with the surrounding conservation area, particularly when it would be viewed from the other side of the valley in which the centre of Winchester sits.
• The scheme overpowers the Record Office and its setting.
• There appears to be no regard paid towards the recent movement study by demanding a large number of cars to be parked within the scheme with the access and ingress in Gladstone Street, which adds to an already vehicle congested area of Winchester.

In our opinion there are other problems with the site that also need addressing. We consider that when developing this scheme the Cattle Market site should also be taken into the overall development account – that is, what types of function should be spread between the two areas, offices, retail, housing etc. The uses and the constraints for both sites are set out in the local plan.

The other element involved is LEP money. This is a grant of 25m available for infrastructure on a site that has planning approval. This was destined, we understand, to help with archaeology research on the site and upgrading the public realm in Station Hill and Station Road. The fund is available to authorities up until March 2021. While we are, of course, concerned that the grant is likely to be jeopardised if the planning permission is quashed by the High Court which looks likely, the benefit of a grant should not be at the expense of a poorly conceived scheme, that could harm the core of Winchester.

Our final consideration and of much concern is that the outline approval has a set of parameters drawings which define the footprint and height of the development. These would remain even if the design is significantly changed alter it is sold to a developer who might have no interest in Winchester. There is little W.C.C. planners could then do when a detailed application was submitted as the outline planning approval would have set the scene!

Central Area

We are not certain whether anything is happening in this area or not. We do know that there were several initiatives taking place at the beginning of 2019. Coitbury House was being looked at and had reached a fairly advanced stage of development ideas. It appears to be a well built building using good materials which we would have thought could be brought back into use fairly speedily and earn some money! It seems sad to leave it empty doing nothing.

The doctors’ surgery, we understand, was on the move. There was a full planning approval granted some time ago. It would appear that they are currently in a sub-standard building stranded in the middle of a blighted area - what is the current situation with regard to the re-location of the surgery into the promised up-dated facilities?

There were other teams looking at short term initiatives earlier in the year, all of which seem to have come to a grinding halt.

Then we have the temporary hoarding around a building at the east end of Friarsgate – how temporary is this hoarding? I could go on, but will restrain myself!

Keith Leaman