A BITTER blow has been dealt to Bordon's aspirations for improved shopping facilities after a planning inspector decided that proposals for a new town centre were put forward too late to stop a housing development.
The inspector decided that 12 detached homes and garages can be built on the controversial Whitehill Chase site on the High Street next to where the new Tesco store will be built.
Both East Hampshire District Council and Whitehill Town Council wanted the plans refused on the basis that they were premature in the light of EHDC's new plans for a new designated town centre which would include the Whitehill Chase site.
Both hoped that the Whitehill Chase site would play a key part in the future regeneration of the High Street and deferred the application to wait for more information.
But Alton-based Holybourne Developments submitted an appeal in September after East Hampshire District Council failed to make a formal decision before the eight-week deadline.
This led to a planning inquiry last month in Liphook at which the inspector was told about the town centre plans.
However, the developers pointed out that the newly proposed plans had not even been agreed by full council and would be subject to formal consultation as part of the second draft of the local plan.
In his report the inspector acknowledged the council's arguments but sided with the developers, saying that EHDC's plans had come too late to apply to the Whitehill Chase site.
He said: "The council believes that Bordon and Whitehill is seriously short of town centre facilities - retail, leisure, entertainment and cultural. . . The council believes believes that if this area is developed for residential purposes then the potential for the larger Whitehill Chase site to play a part in its aspirations for an expended town centre would be lost.
"For the appellant, it is pointed out that this proposed designation for a town centre is at a very early stage in it formulation. The proposal was put to a development policy panel on October 19 and has not yet been agreed by the full council.
"If it is agreed as a draft policy by the full council it would then need to be published and released, probably in early 2002, for further public consultation.
"It is argued therefore that at this extremely early stage of preparation the policy cannot carry any particular weight."
The inspector noted the importance of the recent go-ahead given to Tesco as well as the need to develop facilities in Bordon to prevent shoppers leaving the town, but he accepted the point put forward by Holybourne that there is no existing retail application submitted for the site.
He also argued: "There are no background studies or evidence as to the need for town centre facilities here and so no clear evidence that this site is vital to the council's aspirations for the town centre.
"At the same time to refuse planning permission for this appeal proposal would in effect sterilise a site that could come forward now to provide much-needed housing."
The developers now have five years to build the 12 homes in which time detailed plans must be agreed by EHDC and a badger survey must be carried out on the site.