A VILLAGE hall was packed for a controversial planning application, by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK, for a change of use at Oaklands Farm, in Green Street, near East Worldham, from agriculture and open storage, to include use as a seasonal-event space.

The site, known as Hadeeqatul Mahdi, has, for the past 13 years, been home to the Ahmadiyya community’s annual three-day Jalsa Salana - a religious festival that this year attracted more than 38,000 Muslims from around the globe.

The site has planning permission which allows for 28 days (four weeks) a year in which to facilitate the setting up, running and dismantling of the summer Jalsa.

If granted, the application lodged with East Hampshire District Council planners will enable the extension of the Jalsa Salana to nine weeks, of which four days will be for the event itself, but with an additional six weeks to facilitate three sporting events, each lasting two weeks, including set up and take down, with a capacity for 5,000 attendees at a time. But the thought of yet more festival and event-goers clogging up local roads and lanes, over a much longer period, has filled some members of the surrounding community with dread.

Located in the South Downs National Park, the residents believe that the proposal will do nothing to support the purposes of the national park which are to conserve and enhance its natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage, and to promote understanding and enjoyment of the park by the public.

They are concerned too over the impact in terms of noise and light pollution, the impact on the highway network, and the ecology of the site, which is thought to be home for at least two rare species of bat.

In its planning statement, the applicant argues that, given the limited and occasional nature of the current and proposed use of the land, the overall impact will not be harmful to the character of the area.

It also claims that, by bringing a large number of people to the site, it makes a significant contribution to the local economy - a fact disputed by locals who are of the opinion that a great deal of the infrastructure, including tenting and food, is brought in by HGVs.

Furthermore, the neighbouring towns of Bordon, Alton and Farnham suffer because locals are unable to use the busy roads.

Residents have particular concern too over the issue of drainage.

With no mains drainage serving the site, the events will require the use of temporary portable toilets, with all foul water removed by licensed waste contractors.

This year, however, there was an incident which resulted in foul water escaping into a nearby stream.

At the meeting on October2, East Worldham Parish Council chairman Andrew Aldridge suggested that since at present the on-site activities surrounding the Jalsa Salana are not currently regulated, current irregularities may have triggered this application which, if granted, should, on the positive side, be more closely monitored and allow for a cap to be put on the number of attendees.Determined to fight the application, residents were unanimous in their decision to register their strong objections on the district-council planning portal at SDNP/18/02170/FUL.