THE district council has been attacked for proposing to sell off land it owns next to the Whitehill and Bordon War Memorial for housing. At a meeting of Whitehill Town Council on Monday, one councillor labelled plans to build a four-home terrace on land behind the memorial, on the corner of Camp Road and Ennerdale Road, a "nightmare". The council's concerns were over the density of development; the danger from increased traffic opposite a busy shop, and the reduced space for Remembrance services if the three- bedroom homes are built. Councillor Chris Wain also criticised the district council for being hypocritical in "selling land off piecemeal" after urging the Ministry of Defence (MoD) not to do so when it moves out of Bordon in 2011. Neighbours of the site are also up in arms, with one resident voicing his fear of the existing properties being "hemmed in like a courtyard" if the proposed development is "shoehorned onto the grass verge". Planning officers at the district council have received 19 letters of objection over the plans, which will be discussed and decided at the next meeting of the council's north planning committee in March. The War Memorial Association, which leases the land on which the memorial sits from the district council, is due to consult the Land Registry to see if the development would encroach on its territory. An application for outline planning permission has been lodged by the council's housing, land and property department. A design statement says the plans would make "the best use of the land area involved". The statement continues: "There is an identifiable need for additional housing in the town and this addresses the problem by using an area of land which has little amenity value other than a visual one to the entry to Pinewood Village. "The retention of the grassed area each side of the new development will go some way to retain the feel of the 'open' approach into the area. Good separation is achieved between the new and exisiting houses." A planning spokesman for the council further explained that it has a "remit to look at its portfolio of land and seek to get best value for it". He added: "Just because this application has been made by the council it doesn't mean it has already been decided. If we (officers) are minded to approve this application, it will go to committee. "The distance from the war memorial is not an automatic ground for refusal. It is a possible consideration for the planning committee, but how much weight councillors give it is arguable." But town councillors were dismayed when it came before them. Faith Thomas said: "I cannot imagine what it is going to look like, and what danger it could pose on a stretch of road where there is lots of traffic, people going into the shop and children travelling to school. It's a nightmare." David Williamson said the plans represented a "total overdevelopment of the area" and there were also "parking issues". Ms Wain said: "I'm appalled that the district council has put this through. Firstly, this would ruin one of the nicer spots along the A325 by building on one of the few green areas. Secondly, the district council has urged the MoD to look at the overall development of the town when it leaves and not to sell land off piecemeal, yet here they are selling land off piecemeal." Councillor Mike Scott also felt the application was "part of a pattern where land is being released by the district council all over town piecemeal". Although the war memorial itself is outside the town's development boundary, councillors Jaci Eastwood and Nick Dawes were worried that the proximity of the new homes, on the 0.06-hectare site, would leave little room for people to gather during the annual Remembrance service. Geoff Burt, who lives behind the open land in Bassenthwaite Gardens, said: "Not only would the exisiting residents' skyline be blocked out and their properties hemmed in like a courtyard, but we would be peering at each other nose-to-nose across our backyards like a penguin colony." But Will Godfrey, chief executive of the district council, argued the difference between the district council and the MoD selling land to developers was that the council would always do so in a way that adhered to the Green Town Vision (GTV), a document drafted to ensure a well-planned, environmentally friendly town. Mr Godfrey said: "The difference is that the MoD doesn't have the GTV as a policy guideline and would otherwise be seeking to sell the land to the highest bidder."
