SENTINEL Housing Association felt the firm hand of rejection once again last Thursday when East Hampshire District Council's North Planning committee refused permission for a revised plan on the former Alton Day Service and railway embankment site in Chawton Park Road. The developers could have been left in no doubt – if they are to receive the approval both of local people and the planners they need to come up with a more sympathetic design for this sensitive 1.01 hectare site. Just a stone's throw away from The Butts conservation area, the application for 61 new dwellings (44 flats and 17 houses) on what is a brownfield site, received the 'thumbs down' in terms of density of development, height, mass and design. Despite showing a reduction from 63 to 61 dwellings, the density of approximately 60 dwellings to the hectare was felt to be unacceptable. More than 20 letters had been received from local residents objecting to the application – none of them opposed to the principle of development, but it has to be in keeping with the surrounding area. Speaking on behalf of the objectors, local resident John Bird pointed out that last August EHDC had rejected a similar proposal from Sentinel on grounds of over-development, excessive height of buildings, poor choice of materials, poor design and possible flooding dangers. And, despite some alterations, this plan was essentially the same. "Yes, there are now two less units overall, but the scheme is still very high density, still has buildings of three storeys set against a road of single and two storey houses, still uses alien materials to the area such as synthetic slate tiles and vast areas of white painted render, and is still incredibly ugly," said Mr Bird. The developer had, in his opinion, produced yet another scheme of "Basingstoke-style blocks" which were totally inappropriate for a semi-rural location on the outskirts of Alton. Representing Alton Town Council, Pam Jones, said local councillors supported this view. She also recorded ATC's dismay over Hampshire County Council's continuing unwillingness to address the inadequate road network in the vicinity which is being put under increasing strain by new housing development. As a consequence, ATC registered its added objection to the Sentinel plan on grounds of inadequate access to the site and traffic generation, which would serve to exacerbate the existing problems and lead to further diminution of quality of life. Despite Sentinel's assurance that it had addressed the problem, ATC was anxious still about the threat of ground water run-off in an area acknowledged by the Environment Agency as being prone to flooding. The applicant's agent brushed aside the criticism, pointing out that design, scale and density should not be an issue since the application had shown a reduction of two dwellings and the inclusion of an area of open space to extend the gap between the development and existing properties fronting Chawton Park Road. Sentinel had also changed the design of the properties to better reflect the materials used in the area, especially for those properties fronting the road. But it was not enough – local representative Allan Chick said that while he welcomed the 30 affordable dwellings which would come as part of this development, and the attempt to offer a more appropriate design, it was still too dense for the area and the buildings too high. Despite a warning from officers that highways and drainage could no longer be considered a reason for objection, Mr Chick felt councillors should still be concerned over traffic and flooding issues. Andrew Joy (Alton Ashdell) summed up most of his colleague's frustrations, urging rejection on grounds that the proposed development would be too dense, cramped, out of keeping in terms of height, scale, mass and materials – "it doesn't fit with the rest of the area, it is unsympathetic and out of character," he said. Acknowledging the "appalling design", EHDC leader Ferris Cowper asked why, if Sentinel could come up with award-winning designs for other low-cost housing development, could it not do the same in Alton? He suggested deferring the decision to ask for a more attractive design. But colleagues were too disillusioned to procrastinate. They chose instead to override officer recommendation for permission and go for refusal on the grounds suggested by Mr Joy. l A public inquiry will be held on Wednesday, March 12, into an appeal by Sentinel Housing Association Ltd against EHDC's refusal to grant permission for 63 dwellings on the Chawton Park Road site. The Inquiry will start at 10am at West Tisted village hall.
