A campaigning community group has met to challenge a key planning document in the borough.
The Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) outlines potential development sites across Basingstoke and Deane but Save our Loddon Valley Environment have called for it to be abandoned.
The group claims it encourages Greenfield landowners to offer their land for development and takes away the input of local people.
SOLVE is fighting on particular piece of Greenfield land adjacent to Old Basing which could see upwards of 9,000 new homes squeezed into the community.
Clive Pinder, from the group, explained: “Government, both locally and nationally, has committed to rejecting the top down centralised planning approach of the previous Labour government and ensuring that all planning matters are based on the input of local people.
“Despite this, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council is still proceeding with the planning process mandated by the previous government and in doing so is actively encouraging land owners of Greenfield sites to make their land available for massive development projects like the one proposed by Taylor Wimpey that would see up to 9,000 homes built across the Loddon Valley east of Old Basing.”
His calls were echoed by MP Maria Miller, who commented: “Local residents want the changes in the planning process that Cnservatives campaigned for at the general election.
“The SHLAA process runs counter to the principles of local accountability, continuing the process is wasting Council Tax payers’ money.”
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