A LANDMARK meeting of rural communities was held at Conford Village Hall last Saturday, to voice local concerns surrounding the Whitehill-Bordon Opportunity (WBO). Representatives from Passfield, Conford, Hollywater and Standford were in attendance to air views on housing, roads, transport and the overall futures of the areas. The meeting was organised by Sue Sargeant, secretary for the Standford, Passfield and Hollywater Community Association. She said: "This meeting was called, because people in these areas are growing concerned about the knock-on effect of an increase in houses in Whitehill and Bordon. "There are areas rich in wildlife in its surroundings, which are certainly not fit for urban sprawl. "Residents have moved here to escape city life, not so they can be dropped right in the centre of it once more." Representatives from Conford joined forces under the association's umbrella, as they also share similar concerns. Sue added: "We are also worried about an increase in the volume of traffic on the A325 and the B3004 further to the MoD's planned pull-out in the coming years. "The B3004 is a small road which cannot be widened and it sometimes takes me 10 minutes just to get off of my driveway in the morning." It is believed that four to 5,500 new houses will be built on vacated MoD land in 2012/3, although the exact figure is not yet known. She fears this will lead to an increase in people looking for work elsewhere. She said: "When the MoD pulls out, it looks as though 2,000 jobs will be lost. These jobs can't just magically appear in the area, so it is likely to result in people commuting out of the area to find work." She told The Herald of her fears that Bordon and the surrounding areas are fast becoming "London's backyard". Councillor Adam Carew was encouraged by the outcome of the meeting at the packed village hall. He said: "This meeting of outlying settlements was a bit of a landmark event and a very positive step in the right direction. "Although Hollywater, Standford, Passfield and Conford all have their unique character, they all face similar issues and clearly feel overlooked by the powers that be. "It is vitally important that residents of these settlements are listened to. These are rural communities and long may they remain so." Mr Carew was asked to outline the WBO and the outcome of the "Defence Training Review", which detailed to pull-put of the MOD. He stressed the importance of the "Green Town Vision", in helping to get badly needed facilities for the town, while protecting green spaces for people and wildlife. In addition he explained that the land at Standford Farm had been offered up by Hampshire County Council (HCC) to be included in the WBO, but was careful to stress that this was still undecided. He said: "Liberal Democrat councillors from Whitehill and Headley, issued a statement in April saying that housing here is not acceptable. "Although nothing has been decided yet, the land is being offered by the council for inclusion in the WBO. "We felt collectively, that it was important to put down a marker here and now to say no housing at Hollywater or Standford." Whitehill Pinewood district councillor Ian Dowdle shared concerns over the residents' fears. He said: "Residents from surrounding villages have a right to know what is going on with the WBO, as they use our facilities, and will be directly affected by any major development. "It is essential these communities are kept informed and we do our best to answer them. It was a very positive and constructive meeting and we wish the alliance every success." Headley councillors Richard Clifford and Gary Hopwood also said that "residents like the rural nature of this area and tell us they prefer things left, just the way they are". In addition to housing fears, most in attendance agreed that further information was needed to realise its impact of the Hindhead tunnel, which set to open in 2011. Councillors believe that one way of reducing traffic volumes on the roads, would be to restore Bordon's rail-link and support was shown on this and for a feasibility study which is being championed by Mr Dowdle. It was also announced that there was hope on the horizon for reduced traffic numbers, after Whitehill and Passfield had been listed for priority action for the "Village 30mph campaign". Richard Clifford, chairman of Headley Parish Council, said that he and Gary Hopwood were also very concerned about traffic speeds at Standford and that he would find out more about this in the near future. As the meeting was called at short notice, more than 100 apologies for absence were received including EHDC officer Alison Wood. She has already agreed to attend the next meeting to be held at Conford Village Hall on October 6 at 7pm.
