RESIDENTS of Sutton Field are celebrating this week after district planners turned down proposals to demolish five former police homes in Whitehill and build 25 houses and flats.

But the celebrations could be short-lived if the applicant, Sentinel Housing Group, win an appeal lodged against the previous application which was turned down in March last year.

This is the third time that the housing association has submitted plans to East Hampshire District Council to demolish the Petersfield Road homes and replace them with a mixture of houses and flats.

The first proposals for 18 houses and flats were submitted in 2001, but later withdrawn by the applicant. A second set of proposals for 25 houses and flats followed but was refused by district councillors and is now the subject of an appeal.

The applicant then notified EHDC of its plans to demolish the homes in the interest of health and safety, in July last year, which the council raised no objection to.

The application site is made up of two triangular shaped areas, one containing the former police homes and the other comprising 31 lock-up garages.

Under the new proposals both the homes and the garages would be flattened and replaced with four one-bedroom flats, 11 two-bedroom houses, eight three-bedroom houses and two four-bedroom houses. Forty car parking spaces are also proposed.

Access to the development would be from both Sutton Field and Petersfield Road, after previous concerns about full access from Sutton Field.

The plans propose access for 19 homes through Sutton Field with the remaining six homes accessing the site from Petersfield Road.

But at last weekÕs meeting of EHDCÕs north planning committee the majority of members were stumped as to what had changed from the second application Ð apart from a slight reduction in the number of vehicles accessing the site through Sutton Field.

Michael Watkinson (Bordon and Whitehill) said he was ÒappalledÓ by the plans.

ÒI am amazed by the elevation drawings as proposed on the screen,Ó he said.

ÒI am not sure if I am looking at a modern prison camp! They look absolutely ghastly. It is an appalling way to attract people into this area. ÒSutton Field currently comprises 108 establishments, 26 of which are flats, all of which are tightly knit. They have no parking facilities other than on-street. It is very difficult to get a car down there without knocking on peopleÕs doors and asking them to move their vehicles.Ó

David Kidd (Bordon and Whitehill) agreed that the access through Sutton Field was already congested.

ÒWe turned down a previous application on the grounds of the access through Sutton Field and just taking away five or six dwellings from that amount of traffic really is not going to make a significant difference.Ó

Zoya Faddy (Bordon and Whitehill) said she was not against the mixture of houses and flats, but she would like to see the number of homes reduced.

ÒThere are two issues Ð should there be a better mix and overdevelopment of site,Ó said Mrs Faddy.

ÒI have always argued that it was overdevelopment of site and I think we can get a better environment if it is less

l continued page 7