On Monday Whitehill Town Council reacted to the news that East Hampshire District Council has agreed to carry out a master planning exercise to guide the future of the town if and when the Army leaves.
As reported by last weekÕs Herald, EHDC and the town council will be working with the MoD, EHDC, the county council and SEEDA to draw up a blueprint which will show what military land could be used for in future years when it is no longer needed by the Army.
But councillors were disappointed to learn that no updated development brief would be put together by EHDC for the High Street and Chalet HillÕs future development. Instead the district council wants to incorporate this into the master plan.
Michael Watkinson said: ÒWe are aware of likely development at Chalet Hill and the High Street where some developers are trying to change things from retail use into housing or trying to fill the gaps up there with housing and that would be disastrous to our current plans.Ó
ÒOur only defence is a development brief and I think that we should ask for one again as a matter of urgency.Ó
Despite this concern, the town council remained optimistic that EHDCÕs agreement to the town councilÕs request for a master plan was a step in the right direction.
ÒThis is a chance to be positive,Ó Don Mayes said. ÒThe council has been justly critical of EHDC in the past but here is something that we can really put something into. I know that there may be negative parts but we have a foot in the door.
ÒIf we do this in a positive manner I believe that we can work wonders. If we are negative I donÕt believe that we will get anywhere.Ó
A preliminary meeting between officers at EHDC and senior town councillors will take place in September to discuss the master planning exercise, after which a steering group consisting of one representative from the MoD, EHDC, Hampshire County Council and SEEDA as well as a district and a town councillor for the town.
Dr Watkinson told the town council that the district council had decided that only one town councillor should be on the steering group so that the rest of the members were not ÒoverwhelmedÓ.
The council expressed its disappointment at the news and chairman Chris Wain said that its members were Ònot that scaryÓ but councillors agreed that a deputy to the steering committee should also be appointed.