THE district council's chief executive has pledged to "move hell and high water" to make sure future development in Bordon comes with the right mix of facilities. Will Godfrey's comments came while addressing an audience of the town's business leaders this week, at which he described the development of land in the wake of the Ministry of Defence's withdrawal, as the "biggest project this council has ever been involved in". Mr Godfrey told Tuesday's meeting of the Whitehill and Bordon Business Breakthrough Group: "There is a lot going on in the town and the one part we have not engaged with, as we should have, is the business community. "We are now trying to listen more intently to what you have got to say and make you more a part of the plan for the future. "We have got to work together to make sure the outcomes are right for everyone. "We have got to listen to what each other has got to say because there is a lot of information around which is not very accurate." In an effort to dispel some of the apparent myths surrounding the future growth of the town, Mr Godfrey said there would have to be "housing-led regeneration", with 5,500 being the maximum number of houses to stimulate proper development, as it would increase the population to 25,000. He said: "Bordon simply won't get lots of European money such as places like Gosport or Fareham would. "Housing is the catalyst for development, but we will not get housing which will swamp the town." He also reiterated that new building projects would be eco friendly, in accordance with the Green Town Vision to make Bordon a green, sustainable community. One thing which has become clear is that the town is surrounded by beautiful environment, but has not been developed in a way which complements that, he said. Mr Godfrey revealed that the council hoped to have a clearer idea of where houses were to be built, in particular those destined for currently undeveloped (greenfield) sites, by the end of 2007, adding that decisions would only be taken after "consulting with people". He emphasised that it would be his "worst nightmare" to see the MoD sell off small parcels of land to get maximum profits and, despite assurances from the defence secretary that this would not happen, "we as a council and community need to ensure our voice is heard". Asked whether there would be a freeze on development in Bordon until the departure of the Army, Mr Godfrey said this would be "crazy" and a misuse of planning policy. "The town cannot stand still for four years," he replied. "I am not saying there will not be any development in the that time, but we have to make sure district-council and MoD land is not released in a way which compromise plans in the future." Another revelation was the chief executive's view that a mooted extension of the A325 into a dual carriageway "simply won't happen because of the money available". Instead, he feels that the A3 will be the "major road to service the town" and that the Hindhead tunnel will not only "make a massive difference to the attractiveness of this part of Hampshire", but will also compliment the timescale of work in Bordon by opening in time for the 2012 Olympics. He told the crowd that until the Army leaves Bordon for Wales in 2011 or 2012, the town was in a "transitional period" which brought a "danger of uncertainty" to businesses and residents, which had to be "manged collectively". Mr Godfrey continued: "When I first arrived, the project was driven by the MoD and I thought it was wrong that the MoD was setting the agenda while we were not pro-active enough in representing the town. "I felt we had a moral responsibility to get much more involved, represent people's views and have a much clearer view of how to develop the town to meet people's needs. "The Whitehill and Bordon Opportunity Steering Group has done an awful lot of work, which has probably been quite invisible, but it's important to do it to get a planning framework in place. "Otherwise development becomes ad hoc and you don't get what you want out of it. "There are too many examples of massive housing schemes which have come with nothing else and it creates huge difficulties for the exisiting infrastructure. "I don't want that to happen and I, and the council, have all got a responsibility to work with the town to make sure it doesn't happen. "It is clear to me that the town has been ignored in the past. "According to figures, Alton, Peters-field and Bordon are all the same size, but the facilities in Bordon are not nearly the same and that cannot go on." Jo Jordan, chairman of the Whitehill and Bordon Community Association, said: "I hear everything you say and welcome everything you said about not being listened to in the past. "I would think when mistakes are made people would listen and that's got to be our message. "We as a town should be in the driving seat of what's going on. "For far too long we have been in the back seat. "We need to be able to go forward. Mistakes have been made and we don't want it again. We deserve better."
