VILLAGERS in neighbouring Four Marks and Medstead have joined forces to fight a high- density back garden development which they fear could change the rural character of the entire area. They have rallied behind the Fight4FourMarks campaign, sparked by a sudden awareness of the potential impact of a government planning policy that has given brownfield status to back gardens, opening the floodgates to what they view as "inappropriate high density development". According to Four Marks Parish Council chairman Bryan Timms, while a Private Member's Bill is going through the House of Commons at the moment, to try and reverse the policy, there is a need for public involvement if local planners are to be successful in implementing damage limitation. "I don't think the policy intended to accelerate massive cul-de-sac development," said Mr Timms, "but that is exactly what it has done." He cited in particular Winchester Road in Four Marks and Boyneswood Road in Medstead which have both suffered a large amount of back garden infilling. And now the developers have their eye of adjoining roads. The high density, he explained, resulted from the need to recoup the high cost of buying a valuable property in order to build on the land. Having witnessed this from afar, realisation that this was but the tip of the iceberg hit Telegraph Lane residents when an application landed on their own doorsteps. And led by Fight4FourMarks chairman Julia Hildon, they have decided that this is where the rot stops. The wake-up call came with an application by Antler Homes for the construction of 11 new homes in the back gardens of 54 to 58 Telegraph Lane. If granted permission, residents are convinced this would "open the floodgates" for similar development along the length of the lane. Believing in strength in numbers and determined to secure "a strong voice", they banded together to form the Fight4FourMarks campaign - and it looks as though they may have met with a degree of success. According to a spokesman for East Hampshire District Council's planning department, although yet to be confirmed, that particular application has been earmarked for refusal under delegated powers. If it is refused it will have been down to 'people power' enforcing clear planning policy, which would be unlikely to fail if taken to appeal. Mr Timms has been delighted with the well considered support from local residents in lending strength to policy PPS3, which places great importance on the impact on the local community of high density development which would change the character, especially of a low density, rural area. In striving for "sensible planning" supported by appropriate infrastructure and facilities, campaigners believe the Telegraph Lane application fails firstly because of its "inappropriate nature which would change the character of the surrounding area", and because it would set an undesirable precedent. Another major concern is for the impact of additional traffic on Telegraph Lane and the knock-on effect on the junction with the A31. They also point to inadequate onsite parking. Their fears of the domino effect have already been realised with a second application by Hillread for the construction of nine homes in the garden at 37 Telegraph Lane, and by rumours of three more gardens coming under the developers' knife further along the road. In Medstead residents are fighting a similar proposal for four blocks of three storey flats and eight semi-detached houses at 15 Lymington Bottom Road. While acknowledging that development has to happen, Bryan Timms agrees with Fight4FourMarks campaigners that it has to be the right sort of development and in the right place. He agrees that windfall sites are not the best way to serve what is "a vibrant, changing community" - rather he would like to see the Barratts baseline site on the western edge of the village realise its potential. Earmarked for 184 new homes, the site is linked to a reserve site, now landlocked, which would bring the number up to 250. "This is a wonderful opportunity to develop a reserve site and stop dense development of sites in Lymington Bottom and Telegraph Lane," he said. At a meeting, held at Four Marks village hall on Monday night, residents from both villages flocked to support the Fight4FourMarks campaign which now has a membership of more than 250 and has rallied serious support in objecting to the the applications mentioned above. With the planned introduction in three years time of the Local Development Framework, which is designed to encourage more community involvement in the planning process, the campaigners are keen to get in on the act. Conscious of the fact that Four Marks could in fact take one third of East Hampshire's planning allocation to the year 2011, they are determined to stop creeping urbanisation and fight instead for a fair and sensible level of appropriate development. "Our parish and district councillors need our support if they are to stop the rot before it is too late," warns Mrs Hildon. l Further information on the campaign can be found on the website at http://www.fight4fourmarks.co.uk">www.fight4fourmarks.co.uk
