East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) published their draft local plan on 22nd January 2024. The plan includes a proposal to develop 240 acres of unspoiled farmland with rich biodiversity and much wildlife. The site is split off from Alton by the A31, and is approximately 2 miles from the High Street. It is effectively the construction of a small new town just outside of Alton.

If you use Alton’s infrastructure, this proposal has huge implications for you.

The proposal is to build a minimum of 1000 houses, possibly 1,250 houses, over a 10-15 year period. Obviously, people may have differing opinions on this but it is important that everyone is aware of the possible implications, which include:

• Increased pressure on Alton’s already inadequate infrastructure

• 3000 more people using Alton’s already oversubscribed GP surgeries. The Wilson practice in 2022 was already 2,500 oversubscribed. The development plans include no new GP surgeries.

• 2000 more cars – linking up with the A31 from at the roundabout at Montecchio Way. A huge increase in traffic on Alton’s roads.

• The site will be disconnected from Alton, due to the physical barrier of the A31. The plan promotes pedestrian and cycle access to link the site with Alton, but given the distance of the site from the town centre it is unlikely that people will walk / cycle either across the dual carriageway, or over a small bridge leading through the back of the industrial estate (the proposed means of access by foot or cycle)

• Thousands of lorries on the roads during the construction phase.

• Loss of biodiversity and beautiful countryside – the area is home to many species, including hares, skylarks, deer, red kites and buzzards.

• A further 10-15 years of disruption and chaos to local communities as the infrastructure for this site is put in and the development carried out.

• Impact to the rural character of the landscape, and the dark skies which the South Downs National Park are rightly so proud of. The site will be visible to large parts of the surrounding district and from various points inside the South Downs National Park, potentially endangering the park's status as an International Dark Skies Reserve.

• Loss of high quality farmland – a finite resource vital for food production.

Other Important Points To Be Aware Of:

1. EHDC state that “large parts of this site have previously been considered through the Large Development Sites (Regulation 18) consultation in late 2019.” It is important to note that, at that time, the site was less than 50 acres, proposing the construction of 600 houses. It is not clear to us at this time whether a full land assessment of the current much larger site has been conducted. EDHC have not been able to provide us with an assessment of the larger site. We have been asking for this but they have not been forthcoming.

2. Our pdf of the EHDC plan for this site cuts off where it is talking about drainage – this is not our error, but reflects how the local plan is presented. This is interesting given that groundwater flooding was recognised as a risk for 44% of the original smaller site in 2019.

3. The plan goes against new government advice not to build on greenfield sites; next to the upper Wey, the plan contravenes legislation in parliament to protect chalk streams.

To Summarise:

Our aim here is to raise awareness and to share information with you, so that you can make an informed decision about the proposal. We are encouraging people in Alton to unite against the barrage of development proposals that are sweeping across the town. We seek to stop the continuing, relentless overdevelopment of Alton, when there is simply not the infrastructure to support it, and to protect our beautiful rural environment for future generations.