A DEVELOPER has been accused of robbing Bordon of vital space to house much-needed leisure facilities by submitting plans for a major mixed housing, business and leisure development at the Hogmoor Inclosure.

The accusations came at MondayÕs meeting of Whitehill Town CouncilÕs planning and amenities committee, at which members were unanimously appalled by the plans put forward by Barton Willmore on behalf of Viking Property Holdings Ltd.

The development would comprises 175 homes, around 20 small business units and workshops, and a pub or a restaurant.

And if approved, it would see the 9.74 hectares of woodland area, from the Woolmer Industrial Estate to Whitehill Village Hall, developed.

Contained within the proposals are plans for;

p 175 two, three, four and five-bedroom homes

p 2,346 sq metres of small business and workshop units

p A 465 sq metre pub or restaurant

p A new access from the A325 Petersfield Road

p The reinstatement of a central wetland feature which has been artificially drained

p A safeguarded habitat for badgers.

The developer has also proposed to give some money to the neighbouring Whitehill Village Hall for improvements to the building.

But town councillors were not prepared to take the proposals lying down and expressed fierce objections to them.

Clerk Linda Tiley told councillors that the plans were contrary to the adopted Local Plan - the development blueprint for the district.

ÒThe allocation under the first review is for employment and for leisure use and there is outline permission under the second review of the adopted Local Plan,Ó she said.

Deputy mayor Chris Wain said: ÒIÕm appalled that our leisure facilities that we have been waiting for are being lost to houses.Ó

And Helen Walters could not believe that a community in Òdesperate needÓ of leisure facilities might lose vital space to accomodate them.

ÒWe are bigger in numbers than both Alton and Petersfield and we have nowhere near as much as Petersfield and Alton in the way of leisure facilities,Ó she said.

ÒI am totally and utterly disgusted at this company putting forward such plans, trying to persuade us into their way of thinking,Ó Neil Ockenden said, describing it as Òan absolute travesty!Ó

Barton Willmore has claimed in its planning statement to East Hampshire District Council that plans to develop the site purely for leisure and business use are unrealistic and that it would only be a mixed development proposal that could prove successful.

And the applicant said that the site had been marketed to the leisure and business industry since early 2000 - but to no avail.

The planning statement said: ÒThe results of the marketing campaign indicate that there has been no interest from conventional leisure users such as health and fitness, bowling, bingo, snooker, family entertainment, cinema etc, as these occupiers are seeking a larger and more accessible catchment than a town the size of Bordon can offer.

ÒInterest has been indicated from class A3 users such as fast food, pub and restaurant.

ÒThere is some indication of local demand from businesses within the Bordon area for units up to 200 sq m for business/light industrial units at an affordable rent.Ó

Mr Ockenden, however, did not believe that the developers had pulled out all the stops to attract the facilities that the town needs.

The applicant has argued that EHDC should drop its plans to develop other local sites for housing, including the Walldown Triangle and the Moorlands sandpit in Hogmoor Road, and instead allocate the Hogmoor Inclosure site as housing.

Basil Smith was shocked at the way in which he felt money was taking priority over the lives of the townÕs residents.

ÒWe are talking about money and not people,Ó he said.

ÒHow can they treat people like rabbits?Ó

And mayor Faith Thomas was worried about the impact that the 175 families would have on local schools.

ÒThey have not given a thought to existing schools,Ó she said, adding fears over the roads children would have to cross to get to school.

The town council will now submit its objections to EHDC.

Seventy residents have also been invited to comment on the plans, four of which have so far sent letters to district planners - three objecting and one commenting on the proposals.

English Nature, the RSPB, Hampshire Wildlife Trust and the East Hampshire Badger Group have also been consulted about the application because of the environmental importance of the land and the fact that a badger sett is known to exist there.

Anyone wishing to put forward their comments about the proposals should write to East Hampshire District Council by the end of this month, quoting application number F.34144/002/OUT.