Two housing schemes which could bring 1,750 homes to Ringwood Road, Alderholt are up for debate by Dorset Council next week.
Both have been widely opposed by residents with concerns that the numbers will overwhelm the area, changing its character forever.
The larger of the schemes, for 1,700 homes together with a care home, business park, shops and community facilities, is planned for south of Ringwood Road and is for a decision as an ‘in principle’, or outline, scheme only at this stage.
Council officers are recommending that the application from Dudsbury Homes (Southern) be refused. The company have dubbed the project “Alderholt Meadows”.
The other scheme, for 45 homes, north of Ringwood Road, has already been given outline approval and is being considered at committee for the layout, house details, overall appearance and landscaping.
Officers are recommending granting this application, which comes from Pennyfarthing Homes, subject to conditions with agreement over some of the details delegated to planning officers.
A report to the eastern area planning committee, which will meeting in Wimborne, says the larger scheme will have an adverse impact on Dorset heathland, the nearby New Forest and Avon Valley. Officers claim the scheme is also unsustainable, has a poor masterplan, and that there is insufficient information to show that surface water drainage can be managed appropriately.
Officers say that the developers were invited to withdraw the proposal and to re-submit after further consultations and negotiations on some of the points of difference – but the company declined.
Alderholt and adjoining parish councils have all opposed the larger scheme – some claiming there is no local need for the homes and that the extra traffic the homes would bring will add to a danger on the roads.
Hampshire Council and the New Forest District Council both raised concerns saying the larger scheme will also impact on roads in their areas and with Hampshire claiming the calculations about traffic movement provided by the developers are not realistic.
More than 300 residents had written to express their concerns – many worried about the extra traffic, the additional pressure on local services, the impacts on wild areas and with some claiming that there is no need for business units or the proposed ‘village centre.’
Bournemouth-based Developer Dudsbury Homes describe their scheme as “a 21st Century community”.
The proposals include up to 10,000 square metres of employment space on a small business park, a village centre with shops, health and other community facilities and a range of open spaces.
Dudsbury Homes say the £70 million investment will feature 35per cent of the homes as ‘affordable” with commitments to improve St James’ School to include further school years and a new medical centre. More than seven miles of new cycle routes and footpaths have also been promised with six hectares of the site earmarked for solar panels.
The application shows a range of housing with around 500 flats or maisonettes of one or two bedrooms.Around 150 are listed as ‘starter homes’.