Boorley Green Golf Course and Stoneham Park to be built on

At a full Eastleigh Borough Council meeting this evening Lib Dem councillors voted overwhelmingly to concrete over Stoneham Park, by building 1,300 houses on it and to build 1,400 houses on Boorley Green Golf Course.

Lib Dem Council leader Cllr Keith House admitted that he knew nothing about golf and led his councillors to approve plans to wreck both Boorley Green and Stoneham Park with a vote of 37 for and 5 against.  The ramifications of this will be enormous. 

The public gallery was filled with representatives from Boorley Green and Botley - plus a smattering from the Aviary Estate beside Fleming Park protesting about the Stoneham Park development - and the first impression I had was that of Nimbyism, simply becasue the council gave just two alternatives for the construction of 1,400 houses: Allington Lane and Boorley Green.  Allingotn Lane was quickly deemed unsuitable due to the impossibility of improving the road, so it just left Boorley Green, whose residents were naturally totally opposed.

Maria Hutchins, the Conservative parliamentary representative for Eastleigh, contested the need for a total of 9,400 new houses to be built in the borough and you can read her full speech in a separate post.  She, like the Conservative councillors, said it would be possible to build 4,700 houses on brownfield sites and those would be sufficient for the housing needs of the borough.  She criticised LibDem councillors for saying that our green spaces should be protected but then giving approval for them to be concreted over.

Cllr Godfrey Olson, said "We should be listening to the people who have elected us.  I don't believe in building on greenfield sites.  Recreational facilities are diminishing so this should be looked at in the light of what local people say."  He went on to say that there are currnetly 1,464 empty properties in the borough, which could be put into use.  There is a 5% turnover of property in Eastleigh out of a total of 52,500 units, so houses are constantly being recycled.  The 2011 census showed that the Borough of Eastleigh has a population of 125,000 people.

Cllr Judith Grajewski also said that the councillors had a responsibility to listen to the views of the residents.  With reference to Stoneham Park, local roads are already at 104% capacity.  "I try to visualise what this can be like," she said.  Those of us who have had to drive this route regularly have apretty good idea of what it's like and know that any more traffic along Passfield Avenue, Chestnut Avenue, and Stoneham Lane would cause complete gridlock.

All the residents who spoke and the Conservative councillors stressed that the consultation process had been too hurried.  Cllr John Caldwell, a former mayor, said it was a rushed, tight timetable with litle time for consultation and they all pleaded for an extension.

The Lib Dems then tried to demolish their arguments, Cllr House effectively blaming the government when he said that developers were already queuing up to put in planning applications so the Borough had to put its own plan into effect as soon as ;possible.  He said the government inspector wouldn't accept that the Conservatives' proposla of 4,700 houses built on brownfield sites - as he said they needed to over plan rather than under plan.

"Planning is an art, not a science," Cllr House said.  He then accused Cllr Olson of building 6,000 houses on greenfield sites to the north of Hedge End in 10 years when he led the council, making Hedge End lopsided.  The Lib Dem plan, on the other hand would not be lopsided as they would build to the North-east of Hedge End!!  To my mind, that would make the town even more lopsided.

Cllr Dan Clark, Lib Dem, attacked Cllr Olson, who had spoken of the need for recycling houses - thus providing rented accommodation, for owning houses that he rents out which, of course, reduces the housing need.  He then criticised Maria Hutchins for not supporting children who are growing up in the borough. 

What is abundantly clear to me is that this council meeting was like any other under Keith House.  Everything is decided beforehand and the electorate are treated with disdain.  Some years ago, a planning meeting was held regarding the building of the Waitrose in Chandler's Ford.  A petition against the development was signed and presented to the council and, just like this meeting, the hall was full of residents protesting that the location of the store was inappropriate.  But the Lib Dems said " We are Lib Dem councillors and we know what you need, " and the store was built. 

It's a lovely store but causes considerable traffic congestion at times.

This from Jeremy Bentham (1748 - 1832) could easily apply to Keith House:
The fool had stuck himself up one day, with great gravity, in the King's throne; with a stick by way of a sceptre, in one hand and a ball in the other: being asked wht he was doing he answered "reigning". Much of the same sort of reign, I take it would be that of our Author's (Blackstone) Democracy.

This is another one from Jeremy Bentham:
The greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morals and legislation.

There will be a consultion on the Eastleigh Plan, of which this is part, that will start on 17th August and continue until mid October, so we are going to fight its impracticalities. 

With reference to Stoneham Park,

we are joining these people to do all we can to save it before it's too late.  This cricket pitch is under threat:

1,300 houses on Stoneham Park is compleely unsustainable and the Council doesn't even own all the land.  It hoping that the owners of the land will take advantage of the dramatic increase of its value once it has planning permission will persuade the owners to sell.

Meanwhile, Hampshire County Council has said the land will only sustain 300 houses. 

I look forward to getting support for our campaign to save both Stoneham Park and Boorley Green.