Developer refuses to give up on site

By Liza Helps Property Editor Logistics Matters

THE CONTROVERSIAL site totalling some 80-acres at Oakdown Farm in Dummer by Junction 7 of the M3 motorway has twice been put forward for development to Basingstoke  & Deane Council.

Firstly there was a 2.917 million ft2 industrial and logistics scheme with Amazon as anchor tenant and secondly a smaller scheme of 1.25 million ft2 with Lidl as anchor tenant – both were eventually rejected by the council and the second attempt was turned down by the Planning Inspector at appeal in December 2022.

Both proposed schemes were highly controversial. The first was initially granted but then refused  after  a legal challenge by Dummer Parish Council on the grounds that it would destroy local biodiversity, and that there was “no overriding public need”. In addition to the legal threat from the parish council there had been a well supported campaign to save 80 oaks within the parish supported by Sarah, The Duchess of York and 95,000 other signatories.

The second proposal, which  protected the  avenue of oak trees, was refused by the council’s Development Control Committee who over-rode planning officers’ recommendations citing ‘the detrimental impact of the proposed development on the character and visual amenity of the landscape’.

This was taken to appeal and was dismissed by Government planning inspector Stephen Wilkinson who wrote in his final report that the reason for refusal – concerning the amount of floorspace proposed for the site – is more intrinsic than the developer’s arguments.

“I conclude that the degree of harm caused by this scheme would be of such significance that it conflicts with policies of Basingstoke and Deane Local Plan 2016.

“Having considered all the evidence before me the proposal conflicts with the Development Plan when taken as a whole and there are no material considerations to outweigh this finding. For this reason, the appeal is dismissed.”

The developer has sent a pre-application pack with a view to progressing revised proposals for Oakdown Farm to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council as part of the site’s promotion through the new Local Plan.

The developer wrote on its website: “The site is being promoted through the new Local Plan and a new scheme of approximately 1 million ft2 is currently being consulted on and will be submitted in the summer of 2023."

The various processes and consultations of the Local Plan Update are unlikely to be completed before late 2025.