A TWO-day hearing is to take place into an appeal by Lamron Developments (Holybourne) Ltd against East Hampshire District Council’s (EHDC) refusal to grant permission for the construction of a service station off the roundabout on the A31 at Holybourne.

The hearing is due to take place at Alton Assembly Rooms on April 26-27, starting 10am each day.

The outline application for a service station comprising filling station, 60-bedroom hotel and restaurant, with drive-through restaurant and coffee shop, together with associated access and landscaping works, was turned down by EHDC planners last July on grounds that it would comprise “a major intrusion of development” on a rural site located outside the settlement boundary for Alton, and which is not allocated for development.

It was felt that the proposed development, by virtue of its size and the extent of facilities proposed, “would represent a retail and entertainment destination in its own right rather than a road-user facility proportionate to the primary function of supporting the safety and welfare of road users”.

Furthermore, the cumulative floor space of the proposal would “significantly exceed the locally-set threshold for requiring an impact study of existing centres” and that the “excessive size and scale” of the proposed development, together with the indicative height of the buildings, would “contrast sharply with the open, rural character of the site”, would fail to conserve the tranquil, natural character of the landscape, and would harm the outlook and tranquility currently enjoyed by the occupants of the two adjacent properties, one of which is a Listed building.

The application had attracted 135 letters of objection from the public, with six supporting the application, among them one from the Alton Society which, like Alton Town Council, had “no objection in principle” to the development of the site.

Alton Society members felt the site to be “well related to the A31” and that the development would fulfil a perceived need for more hotel accommodation in Alton, especially after the loss of The Grange Hotel, which would support local tourism.

The site was considered to be “well screened” with the topography helping to minimise the impact of development.

But Society members were concerned over a number of issues, which they felt needed resolving prior to the granting of permission, including access from the roundabout and concerns of queuing on the A31, the impact of the introduction of a traffic island on Montecchio Way to facilitate the exit point which would narrow the road, and footpath provision.

There was concern too over the fact that the site was regarded as an important flood plan storage facility for the River Wey, over the release of pollutants into the stream crossing the site, especially from the fuel storage tanks, and over back-up provision to deal with sewage in the event of a power failure.

There was a need, the Society felt, for a more detailed ecological appraisal, including a bat survey, and to reinforce the perimeter planting, especially to the west side of the adjacent Upper Neatham Mill Farm, and it was felt that the installation of two drive-through restaurants would be excessive.

Objections to the development ranged from “too large and in completely the wrong place” to concerns over the loss of greenfield farmland, over-development, fears over the increase in traffic in an area which is already congested, increased pollution, and adverse impact on town centre businesses.