Update on Murrell Green October
You probably don’t need reminding that outline planning application 26/01201/OUT proposes up to 2,160 homes, together with employment space, a local centre and community facilities including education. It also includes new road, cycle and pedestrian access, with three proposed accesses from the A30 London Road and one from the B3016 Odiham Road.
This is one of the largest planning applications ever submitted in Hart and if approved, would effectively join Hook to Hartley Wintney along the A30, filling the gap between the villages of Hook, Hartley Wintney and Winchfield.
We reported at the end of September that Hook, Winchfield and Hartley Wintney Parish Councils were so strongly opposed to this application they jointly funded specialist reports by consultants.
The three Parish Councils have now submitted their joint objection to the Murrell Green planning application to Hart District Council. (see below for the link to access the PC’s objection)
The joint submission by the 3 parish councils recognises the need for new homes but sets out why they consider the scale, location and impacts of the proposed development unacceptable.
Among the issues raised are:
- Coalescence, ie. the impact on the identity and separation of the three communities;
- the permanent loss of countryside;
- transport and highway implications;
- pressure on local infrastructure;
- landscape, ecology and heritage;
- flood risk; and
- gaps and concerns in the evidence supporting the application.
The Parish Councils are asking Hart District Council to refuse the application. Their submission also identifies infrastructure requirements that they believe would need to be addressed if Hart were nevertheless minded to approve it.
The joint submission is extremely detailed and comprehensive comprising nine documents, a cover letter, Formal Planning Representations and seven appendices providing detailed supplementary information on specific subjects. The Formal Planning Representations starts with an easily readable five-page executive summary expanding on the issues highlighted above.
The full joint submission is available on the Hook Parish Council website which you can access here: https://hook.gov.uk/news/hook-parish-council-response-to-planning-application-26-01201-out
What should I do now?
If you have already submitted your comments to Hart, there is nothing further that residents need to do at this stage.
However, IF you haven’t yet commented, you can still submit your own personal comments on this application but do keep to planning considerations – so those topics listed above. We recognise the deadline for comments has been reached; however, this application has a huge potential impact on Hook and the surrounds, therefore we feel its critical everyone gets their chance to comment and each comment submitted to Hart will be considered.
You can view the application documents and submit comments via Hart District Council’s planning portal:
https://publicaccess.hart.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=TIA5A8HZKTR00
We will continue to keep residents informed as significant new information becomes available.