BORDON has won a second decisive victory in the planning stakes to help its fight for more facilities in the town.

East Hampshire District Council planning officers have thrown out plans for a residential development on land north of Devon Road - a site allocated for shops and other much-needed facilities.

Developers Premier Properties and Flavia Estates Ltd had submitted plans to EHDC seeking outline permission for the development which an access road from Forest Road which would also have been in line for traffic calming.

But the application has now been refused by planning officers because of the 0.58 hectare siteÕs importance to BordonÕs regeneration.

The decision comes only weeks after planners rejected the Ministry of DefenceÕs bid to build houses at RE Lines and St Lucia Lodge in Lindford Road, sites allocated for businesses, a hotel or a college.

And this latest rejection shows the determination of local authorities and councillors to safeguard the precious few sites in Bordon and Whitehill available for non-residential development.

The application to build more than 30 homes north of Devon Road attracted strong opposition.

A petition signed by 124 local residents and ten letters of objection were sent to planners opposing the plans on the grounds that a retail use was preferable. Ojectors insisted that homes would generate extra traffic and that it would cause a host of problems to local residents.

The town council also opposed the plans because it wanted to see the land developed for a commercial use.

In her report, case officer Nicky Powis outlined why the site is so important.

ÒIt is recognised that Whitehill/Bordon lacks the facilities, such as retail, commercial, leisure and entertainment uses that are normally associated with a town of this size and in comparison to the other larger centres in the district at Alton and Petersfield,Ó she said.

ÒThis site is one of the most important sites allocated in order to achieve the aim of providing more of those facilities.

ÒIt is also allocated for redevelopment so as to improve the environment of the area and to improve access.

ÒThe improvements to the environment and access have already commenced with the permission for the Tesco food store to the south of the application site. This will also provide a welcome boost to the development economics of this area by making the area more attractive to development.

ÒThe Tesco development is hoped to provide the catalyst to the development of the application site and the locality for commercial purposes.

ÒThe development of this site for housing would also restrict the redevelopment potential of the remainder of this area by reducing the scope and scale of development that could be accommodated.

ÒIt would also restrict the type of uses which could be accommodated on the remainder of the site in that there may well be a conflict between the adverse impact on the amenity of the housing area and any proposed use.Ó

However, keeping alive BordonÕs hopes of an economic regeneration was not the only grounds on which the Devon Road application was refused.

The proposal to create an access from Forest Road also drew fierce reaction, even from the experts.

Both the parking and highways manager and the county surveyor opposed the plans and the applicants attempts to create Òa substandard junction to take additional trafficÓ.

An offer of traffic calming in Forest Road was also knocked back as it was Ònot considered acceptableÓ.

In her report Mrs Powis said: ÒThe county surveyor has been consulted because of the proposal to carry out off-site highway works and he has advised that he does not see that traffic calming in Forest Road is desirable, nor would it be a way of making use of a substandard access acceptable.

ÒHis view is that access to the site should be sought via the new Tesco site.Ó