A NEW row has blown up over the affordable element of a plan to develop the controversial Ashdell Road site overlooking Alton's picturesque Kings Pond. Since the original developer, Squires Bridge Homes, was bought out by Barratt Homes, plans for the 30-home development on what is a sensitive hillside site have undergone some minor 'tweaking' to try and appease local concern. The most recent was to replace a row of four "miner" style cottages, stepped up the hill and each containing two single bedroom affordable apartments, with a terrace of 2.5 storey four-bedroomed dwellings, to be sold on the open market. The developer would then provide a commuted sum to provide the affordable element of the development elsewhere. But this proposal was voted out during the September meeting of East Hampshire District Council's north planning committee, fuelling further accusations by local residents, of "unprofessional conduct" and "lost opportunity". Despite the support of Alton Town Council for the relocation of the affordable element of housing to another site, EHDC's north planning committee remained adamant, the development of the 1.15ha site ,to the rear of 42 and 54 Ashdell Road, must include the required quota of affordable housing. However according to leading campaigner and local resident Andrew Joy, the September debate went ahead without the vital knowledge of those councillors who were best able to comment on the matter. In a letter to the Alton Herald, Mr Joy pointed out: "The ward councillor Bob Chilton (Ashdell), had been contacted the same day by EHDC officers with the suggestion that he had personal and prejudicial interests and should consider withdrawal from the discussion. The grounds for this, including contact with the developer, prejudgment, involvement with the "steering group" of residents and objectors, were completely spurious but the timing of this approach had the effect of all but destroying the credibility of Mr Chilton's contribution to the debate." Angry over what he believes to have been a deliberate ploy to remove the ward councillor from the debate, Mr Joy was equally incensed by the subsequent withdrawal of four other councillors from the fray. He told The Herald: "Bearing in mind the primary question being addressed was how the need for affordable housing was to be best satisfied in relation to this site, it was all the more astonishing that the four councillors best qualified to judge the options available (Cowper, Chick, Bradford and Seward) were also advised to withdraw because they were members of the affordable housing working party." Mr Joy had nothing but praise fro Barratt Homes who, having acquired the site after the Squires Bridge Homes appeal had been upheld, had worked closely with the "steering group" of residents and past objectors, and with the planning officer, to produce an alternative option which was felt to "better suit the site and its setting". "This option, with the material planning benefit of double the number of bedrooms on a smaller footprint and with a less intrusive impact on its surroundings, would have been significantly less profitable for Barratts, but was acceptable to them as a contribution towards improving the built environment and as better use of land in accordance with PPG3. "But inexplicably the planning officer, who had previously worked with Barratt Homes and given them the thumbs-up on this proposal, suddenly decided to recommend refusal," said Mr Joy. Already fiercely critical of EHDC's handling of the case, Mr Joy was further disenchanted by the way in which the debate was chaired, believing that both Jerry Janes (Wooteys) and Chris Graham (Ropley) should have been excluded on grounds of prejudgement. "Councillor Janes gave a well-prepared and theatrical presentation, wielding a large 'policy' folder. While quoting 'policy', he managed to overlook the principle of integrating affordable housing and scope for off-site provision. He had clearly prejudged the proposal from an ideological point of view and should have been excluded from the meeting," said Mr Joy. "Councillor Chris Graham declared the proposal to be a case of 'blatant nimbyism', despite knowing none of the scheme's advocates. He announced that 'nothing anyone here can say will persuade me to change my mind'. His mind was closed. He also had prejudged the issue and should have been excluded." Mr Joy believes the wrong councillors were allowed to take part in the debate resulting in the wrong decision. "Of the 21 members of the north planning committee, only 13 were present for the discussion and it is my belief that of those the two most vociferous and influential had 'prejudicial interests'. "Had the four absent members of the affordable housing working party taken part, not only might the final outcome have been different, but council taxpayers could also have had some confidence that the discussion and judgement had involved those best qualified. "The reality is that after over two years, none of the dwellings now to be built on this site have been approved by councillors in committee. The one opportunity for them to approve the final element, which had been worked on in detail by residents, planners and the new developer, has been thrown away without proper balanced consideration. "When a large well-informed and representative body of constituents seek support for a proposal they do not expect EHDC to ensure that only the least well- informed make the decision. They do expect the 'code of conduct' to be applied in an even-handed and intelligent manner." Rather than democracy, Mr Joy described the debate over the Ashdell Road to be more akin to "dimocracy in action". l Alton Town Council's planning committee is to put forward "Kings View" as the preferred name for the new Barratts development, overlooking Kings Pond, in Ashdell Road. Councillors were unanimous in their approval of the name, suggested by deputy town clerk Greg Burt.