Reply to THIS thread
Start a NEW Talkback Thread
Talkback Home

Bohunt Manor Proposed Development - SOS Bohunt Manor (18th Jul 2014 - 08:48:20) The anniversary of the Public Meeting to discuss the proposed development of Bohunt Manor has just passed. The meeting was held on 9th July 2013 and extensively reported on the BBC. The links below lead to the BBC South Today televised reports which were televised just before and during the meeting. BBC South Today excerpt 9th July 2013 AM BBC South Today excerpt 9th July 2013 PM As a consequence of the intense local opposition to the development expressed at the meeting the SOS Bohunt Manor Community Action Group was formed. The aims and objectives of the SOS Bohunt Manor Community Action Group are:- To protect Liphooks' gateway to the South Downs National Park and uphold the principles of the Park ensuring the cultural heritage, landscape, beauty and wildlife are preserved for future generations. A Pre-application reference SDNP/14/01638/PRE is still being considered by the South Downs National Park planning department. The developers, GVI Ltd, are likely to submit a full planning application in the near future for a large scale development including 210 houses on the Bohunt Manor frontage land which will effectively destroy Liphook’s piece of the South Downs National Park. GVI's proposal for mass housing is contrary to government policy for a British National Park. The developer’s did not want the land to be part of the National Park but the South Downs National Park Authority felt it should be included on grounds of scenic beauty, landscape, ecology and rural character. The site of the Proposed Medical Centre has been stripped of topsoil this week to ensure that the current planning permission does not lapse. We understand that there are still funding problems. Should the main application win approval, the mixed use proposals contained in the application for the Bohunt Estate, now re-badged Bohunt Park by GVI Ltd, should subsidise the delivery of the medical centre, but this will be dependent on agreement with the NHS and the local surgeries. Once the full planning application has been lodged the SOS Bohunt Manor Community Action Group will respond accordingly. If you want to find out more or take part in the campaign to stop this development please email the Bohunt Manor Community Action Group at support@sosbohuntmanor.co.uk and view our web site www.sosbohuntmanor.co.uk

Re: Bohunt Manor Proposed Development - liz (18th Jul 2014 - 09:21:51) I believe they only have outline planning for the medical centre in which case stripping the land serves no purpose as discussed on a previous thread. However putting up site boundaries and bringing in earth moving equipment makes it look like more of a development site than part of the National Park - no doubt they are hoping to sway public opinion. This also applies to the removal of ancient hedgerow opposite the end of Station Road and the earth moving in preparation for the roundabout which is a vital for the proposed housing development, but which the Highways Authority has no plans for at present. Also, in light of the Roman finds recently displayed by the Preservation Society, is there not an urgent need for an archeological investigation before any further digging is carried out? There could be a Roman villa on the site - what an excellent gateway to the National Park that would make!

Re: Bohunt Manor Proposed Development - Darren (18th Jul 2014 - 09:22:51) Mmm ".........As a consequence of the intense local opposition to the development expressed at the meeting the SOS Bohunt Manor Community Action Group was formed....." Think that opinion is now rather out of date after the LIPS exhibition where the vast majority of Liphook residents felt that the Bohunt Manor site was the Preferred Option for development in Liphook. Me thinks this smacks of damage limitation before the S**t hits the fan, highlighting the possible conflict of interest of a number of BLPC councillors, and their membership of SOS Bohunt, and the farcical meeting and subsequent "No Objection" vote of the Chiltley Farm application. How BLPC can object to Lowsley Farm, and the proposed Nursing Home on the OSU site, but have no issue with Chiltley Farm (the least sustainable proposal with the biggest impact on traffic congestion through The Square and around the schools due to it's remote location) beggars belief. I smell a rat! (again).

Re: Bohunt Manor Proposed Development - liz (18th Jul 2014 - 11:07:50) Darren I don't think the voting at that relatively small meeting reflected the views of "the vast majority of Liphook residents". Presumably the majority of residents who attended that meeting were objecting to, quite justifiably, alternative development on their doorsteps.

Re: Bohunt Manor Proposed Development - Karina (19th Jul 2014 - 10:08:53) No building on the National Park land please! We must not lose the last bits of open green country around Liphook by turning it into an urban sprawl. It is already a shame that the site has been taken over by some company, who made it inaccessible to the public. I am sure that was not what the former owner of Bohunt Manor had in mind when she left it to WWF. No more hideous developments like the King Georges Hospital site - how was that allowed to happen? Ideally no more building should take place, but if this must happen, do it on a brown site where there is already some disused building, out of sight.

Re: Bohunt Manor Proposed Development - antoinette (21st Jul 2014 - 13:14:39) Darren, Basing the opinion of the majority of the parish residents on the recent EHDC presentation and the use of placing of stickers onto the various sites on a map is very unsafe, full-stop. If this event were to be compared to a proper election it would have had all the usual precautions in place: registration card sent to each resident's home address, single ballot slips provided in return for these registration cards, a secret ballot area and no pressure groups allowed in the polling station. None of the above was the case. Therefore, the numbers do not represent a true and honest count of residents' votes. The number of attendees who came through the door was not even noted. In which case there might have been many more stickers placed than bodies in the room. Surely nothing THAT dishonest could possibly have taken place!

Re: Bohunt Manor Proposed Development - SOS Bohunt Manor Community Action Group (25th Jul 2014 - 12:33:25) The Pre-application reference SDNP/14/01638/PRE has been considered by the South Downs National Park Authority's planning department. Document Pre-Application Advice – Mixed use development Extracts from the full document are as follows:- The site lies within the South Downs National Park, the designation reflecting the highest quality of the landscape and scenic beauty in which the site is located. This is a proposal for major development within the SDNPA on a site designated by the East Hampshire District Local Plan 2006 as land outside of the settlement boundary. The SDNPA currently can demonstrate a 5 year housing land supply and it has not been demonstrated that there are no sites outside the designated area that meet the 175 dwelling requirement for Liphook. Whilst EHDC have carried out a limited informal consultation on preferred sites for future housing development they are not the local planning authority for the area in which this site is located. Moreover it is generally accepted that a local planning authority should meet its own needs and should not rely on sites in an adjoining local planning authority. Further consultation to identify sites which transcend local planning authority boundaries might be through the preparation of a Neighbourhood Plan and I understand the parish council are considering this as a way forward. However, this would not obviate the need for compliance with paragraph 116 of the NPPF. Policy CP14 of the JCS may permit the provision of up to 30% market housing to support affordable housing providing this market housing is low cost such as starter homes but there is no policy support within the adopted development plan or the NPPF for a proposal which is predominantly market housing on a site outside of a settlement boundary. As such there is a clear policy objection to residential development of the site at this point in time. Article 2 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure)(England) Order 1995/419 advises that the provision of 10 or more dwelling houses is considered major development, which is a starting point for considering whether the application is major. The SDNPA have sought legal advice on this point and the Maurici opinion is available to view on our web site. The opinion advises that the NPA must consider whether there is anything to rebut the presumption that the development is major. Local circumstances, the particular facts of the application and planning policies must be taken into account before coming to a view. In this case the proposed development by reason of its nature and location has the potential to have a serious adverse impact on the natural beauty provided by the SDNP. The proposal therefore constitutes major development in the National Park for the purposes of paragraph 116 of the NPPF. Paragraph 116 states that planning permission for major developments in National Parks should be refused except in exceptional circumstances and where it can be demonstrated that they are in the public interest. The full Pre-application advice can be viewed on the following link planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/.. Once logged on quote Bohunt Manor and proceed to Document tab then Pre-application Advice The Counsel’s Opinion and related matters in respect of the 5 year land supply can be obtained from the following links planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/.. planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/.. planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/.. The SDNP’s Pre-application Advice concludes by stating that:- I would therefore suggest that if you wished for further advice on design, notwithstanding the clear policy objection, you may wish to proceed by way of a new pre-application enquiry governed by a Planning Performance Agreement setting out the scope of future discussions and meetings with a timetable for completion. The SOS Bohunt Manor Community Action Group will continue to monitor the planning applications from GVI Ltd for the Bohunt Manor Estate [Bohunt Park] It is interesting to note that the points identified in the SDNPA’s Pre-application Advice complement those already mentioned by the SOS Bohunt Manor Community Action Group’s comments to the SDNPA on planning applications in respect of the Bohunt Manor Frontage land.

Re: Bohunt Manor Proposed Development - helen (25th Jul 2014 - 17:37:26) I am so pleased that the SDNP have re inforced the criteria for having the Park in our area, and sending the message that there is building land available other than in the National Park. Plenty of sites have come forward and all sites built upon locally will have similar impact. Perhaps councillors and public will recognise that the boundary areas do matter!

Re: Bohunt Manor Proposed Development - Glad (25th Jul 2014 - 20:33:19) I am so glad to hear this news.

Re: Bohunt Manor Proposed Development - Mandy (25th Jul 2014 - 21:37:06) Sadly from what I have heard from local residents, I have to agree with Darren. I think there is a very LARGE RAT leaving a very nasty smell in Liphook. I understand the so-called placing stickers on proposed developments was a complete farce. From what I can gather people were asked not to place a sticker on the Bohunt development by members of EHDC and Southdowns National Park. This to me indicates a definite confllict of interest, particulary by the lady from EHDC. Surely therefore she should resign from council planning matters relating to Liphook! The development of Bohunt Manor and Lowsley Farm makes more sense than developing land on the edge of Liphook, intended for families that will require a 3km walk to school each way! Also using the two sites closer to the centre of Liphook will aide the already heavy congestion in the centre and upon which a by-pass relief road could be built to alleviate the problems. As for the proposed plan for a nursing home - how ridiculous. Local nursing homes in the Hindead, Liphook, Bordon and Liss areas are struggling to find staff as it is. If I needed to live in a nursing home I certainly wouldn't want to live there having to look out over Sainsburys, a busy road/roundabout and a industrial park plus listening to the nearby railway track! Is this part of the plan to try and get residential approval on an industrial site. I understand the need for more houses and Liphook can offer the space needed. However we need infrastructure and need protect the local environment. Lets look at the problems logically, sensibly including local residents working with the council.

Re: Bohunt Manor Proposed Development - helen (25th Jul 2014 - 23:10:05) The lady from EHDC was an officer, and part of the paid planning team there. The remit of the Lips exercise was to look at the sites. currently being considered by Ehdc in their five year land allocation. The National park has a SEPARATE land allocation, and the applications of over 10 houses are decided by a different planning team. Too many people do not understand that EHDC are separate. planners. There is a separate body of councillors to look after the interests of the park. The councillor for the Bohunt area of the park isJennifer Grey.

Re: Bohunt Manor Proposed Development - sjenner (26th Jul 2014 - 05:25:01) I was at the same meeting and no-one approached me with instructions on how to choose. Moreover I did not see anyone else been approached with specific instructions. With the nursing home, that has been in the frame for ages. The fact that we have housing on the former OSU and will have yet another nursing home nearby is testament to the fact that there was complete apathy in the town when the application was submitted some years back. The land should have been give up for business development or leisure, but instead we get more houses.

Re: Bohunt Manor Proposed Development - Andy (27th Jul 2014 - 12:18:16) The post by the SOS Bohunt Manor Community Action Group (25 July) is most informative and helpful. Well Done that Group..! The legal policies for the South Downs National Park, applicable to all the English National Parks of course, disallow mass-housing so putting stickers there was unfortunately both vastly uninformed and pointless. Helen has helpfully reminded us that the Bohunt Manor ground is not in EHDC's territory. The South Downs National Park Authority is the planning authority; and it has a specific policy (Issue 28) for use when considering development near its boundaries. The public meeting at The Millennium Hall in July year was packed-out with everyone universally against the mass-housing. The numbers can be accommodated elsewhere without spoiling our countryside.

Re: Bohunt Manor Proposed Development - Vicki (27th Jul 2014 - 21:52:04) This is great news. I wish to echo Helen's views, maintaining Liphook's boundary is paramount. Preserving and cherishing our privileged South Downs National Park bordering status will help protect Liphook’s desirable setting. There is no need to spoil our countryside when the required number of houses can be accommodated within our settlement boundaries.

Reply to THIS thread
Talkback Home