A REVISED plan for the development of housing on the former Eggar's School playing field site in Alton's Anstey Road has been rejected by the town council's planning and transport committee, but only by a chairman's casting vote.

However, the crucial decision on the scheme was due to be made on Thursday (yesterday) evening this week at the meeting of East Hampshire District Council's north west area planning committee.

With the officers recommending in favour, the change of political balance of the committee and the threat of a public inquiry into its refusal of the former plan, the outcome very much hangs in the balance.

The revision, which still requests that 37 houses be built on the site, answers some of the objections stated when the former application was rejected.

Developers Alfred McAlpine Homes Limited have appealed against that refusal, and the date of September 28 has been set for the hearing of the case.

"But the company doesn't want to go to appeal unless it is absolutely necessary," McAlpines' agent Bryan Jezeph told the committee meeting where the revised plans were on display.

Mr Jezeph explained that the criticism that the design of the frontage on Anstey Road was out of character with the area had been addressed by a change of design on the five houses opposite the old Eggar's School building.

Photographs had been taken of a pair of Victorian semis further down Anstey Road, from which a new design had been drawn up by "splitting it down the middle".

"Although one can't contain all the details of style of a Victorian house a large number have been used," said Mr Jezeph.

"Railings have been added along the road frontage to create an interesting feel."

The garages to these houses had been set back so they could not be seen from the road. "The company looked at the possibility of rearranging the frontage at the far end" (where the houses back on to the main road) "but the original scheme was retained."

On the affordable housing element, the houses had been rearranged with two terraces at right angles to each other.

One of these would still be sideways on to houses in neighbouring Chalcrafts, but has been moved to a distance of 14 metres away from numbers seven and eight.

Answering the criticism that this formed a "ghetto" in the development, Mr Jezeph said that keeping the affordable homes in one block was preferred by the Kingfisher Housing Association which will manage that section of rented housing.

The total number of houses could not be brought down below 37, Mr Jezeph said, since McAlpines had tendered for the land to Hampshire County Council with that number specified.

Peter Whitmarsh pointed out the HCC is not the planning authority, and that a sign on the site stating "up to 30 houses" was only taken down two days before the previous plan was removed. Mr Jezeph admitted that had been "misleading", but added that the scheme was only viable with 37 houses.

Mr Whitmarsh asked whether McAlpines had considered the Alton Society's suggestion for a courtyard style development instead of a "bog-standard dormitory layout".

Mr Jezeph replied that the constraints of the agreed siting of the access road rendered this idea impossible "unless we had a clean sheet and started all over again."

When the councillors later debated the plan Mr Whitmarsh upheld his criticisms and the point that the consultation, time and money put in to drawing up the local plan would have been wasted if its stipulation of "up to 30 houses" was to be ignored.

"This is a green open space, not a brownfield site," he said.

David Crocker pointed out that the county council would have sold to the highest bidder because they "wanted to make as much money as possible for Amery Hill and Eggar's" (the schools will benefit from a trust fund to be set up from the profits from the sale of the site).

"If we believe what we hear tonight we may get another application in a few years' time for 45 houses," he said.

When it came to the vote three councillors abstained while two were in favour of the plan and two against.

Casting his chairman's vote in opposition, Mr Mendham said: "I think the argument this evening has been more against than for."

EHDC's north west area planning committee meeting on Thursday starts at 7-30 pm at Eggar's School.