Town’s future 'must be driven by local people'

A WHITEHILL councillor has called for a plan to build thousands of new homes in the town to be "driven from the bottom up." Cllr Adam Carew, a member of Whitehill Town Council as well as representing Whitehill (Walldown ward) on East Hampshire District Council, said he was determined that the "local voice is heard" when it comes to the building of up to 5,500 homes on vacated Ministry of Defence (MOD) land. Mr Carew estimates that between 4,000 and 5,500 houses will be built after the MOD's anticipated withdrawal in 2013. After a meeting of Whitehill Town Council and the Whitehill and Bordon Opportunity Steering Group on April 2, Mr Carew said: "Now we know the outcome of the Defence Training Review, myself and Cllr Sue Howard put a motion to Whitehill Town Council that we meet with the (Whitehill and Bordon) Town Partnership to decide how we want to see our town develop and to raise any issues and concerns we have about the future of the town. "Rather than being dictated to by the powers that be, and their vested interests, we feel that the future of the town should be driven from the bottom up. It's us who live and work here and us who will have to live with whatever is decided. We are the locally elected councillors of this community and we are determined to make sure that the local voice is heard." The town council and opportunity steering group met to discuss issues which could arise when the army pulls out of the town. "We had a packed meeting and all split into groups to look at a range of issues and questions that regarding the future of the town and seemed to arrive at a great degree of consensus," Mr Carew said. Issues discussed included housing numbers, housing mix, building environmentally friendly homes, threats to greenfield sites, traffic levels and alternative public transport options. The retention of MOD buildings, MOD job losses, playing fields, the need for infrastructure and facilities and economic regeneration were also looked at. A "mistake" over the estimated number of homes to be built has also been cited, by Mr Carew, as evidence of the importance of involving local people. At a public meeting in February, Conservative MP James Arbuthnot and the leader of the district council, Ferris Cowper, announced that up to 8,000 new homes could be built, despite the fact it had been believed that 4,000 to 5,500 homes would be built. The higher-than-anticipated 8,000 houses raised concerns, especially because it was said that 50 per cent would be sited on greenfield land. As around 4,000 houses are allowed to be built on brownfield sites, the additional 4,000 would have to have been built on greenfied sites. Mr Carew said that, following this meeting, his phone was "red hot", adding: "People are very supportive of the Green Town Vision. News of these higher housing numbers clearly alarmed many people." Mr Carew raised the matter at a full East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) meeting in March, and said: "I put the question to EHDC full council because I wanted to know at what point had these new higher figures been decided and by whom. "We have been assured that we are still working on approximately 4,000 to 5,500 as agreed at the steering group, which is a great relief." He said it appeared that the higher number had been "a stupid mistake", adding: "At least, we are all hoping they were - it has really alarmed local residents." Housing numbers are dependent on the ecological impact of development on Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and Special Protected Areas (SPAs), which the town is keen to protect. SSSIs include Passfield Common and lakes on the Blackmoor side of the A325. The main SPA is the Woolmer Forest (Longmoor Ranges), where there are breeding reptiles and amphibians and rare species of birds like the Dartford warbler and the nightjar. Mr Carew was concerned about the apparent lack of communication which had led to the "mistake" in numbers. He said: "It illustrates the point that politicians who have not been fully involved in the steering group up to now do need to be properly briefed. It is of paramount importance that we maintain our strong local voice at the highest level - we don't want mistakes like this again. "At the end of the day, housing figures will be determined by the ecological impact on the internationally protected SPAs that surround the town and the rare species they support (which are also protected in their own right). That's why we are awaiting the outcome of what happens to the Thames Basin Heaths in the north of the county which have similar issues regarding SPAs." A further concern for Whitehill and Bordon councillors is whether local elected representatives will remain on the steering group or whether they will be replaced by councillors from other areas. Mr Carew added: "The new leader of EHDC (Cllr Cowper) is trying to slim down the main steering group to seven members and it is likely that three of the four local members could be thrown off the main committee - we are very concerned that the local voice will be lost. "This Green Town Vision will only work if local elected councillors are fully involved at the highest level. We aim to ensure that the local voice is heard loud and clear. Unfortunately, it seems that the new Tory leader Mr Cowper is determined to get rid of local elected representatives from the main steering group. This could endanger the whole project and we will fight this tooth and nail. We are the people who live and work here and, unlike most of the other members of the steering group, we will have to live with the outcome of what happens when the Army leave. This project will only work if it has local support and if the powers that be actually listen to local people. We have been elected to fight for our community to get the best deal we can in terms of getting the facilities we so badly need and protecting our green spaces. We will continue to do just that." The Green Town Vision was started to make Whitehill and Bordon a sustainable community in the 21st century. It should provide a sustainable level of housing with a good mix of homes, including more three to five-bedroom houses to keep people from moving away. It should also protect the unique wildlife heritage around the town and green corridors throughout the town, while also providing more: Shopping and recreational facilities; indoor play areas; playing fields; a bowling alley and a discovery centre. It aims to improve transport links and development along Bordon High Street, and is concerned with the amount of traffic on the A325 - pollution levels are being monitored on the top of Chalet Hill. At the public meeting in February, Mr Arbuthnot talked of the possibility of "6,000 to 8,000 houses bringing investment", but the district council's chief executive, Will Godfrey, said the optimum number remained 5,500.