WE will fight on. That’s the defiant message from villagers campaigning to block plans to build 320 homes on farmland at Rownhams.

Their fight to stop the proposed development at Parkers Farm suffered a major blow when Test Valley councillors dropped their objections to the scheme on the advice of planning officers prior to a public inquiry into Commercial Estates’ proposals.

Officers say that after talks with Commercial Estates they believe previous objections could be overcome.

At Tuesday’s southern area planning meeting councillors reluctantly agreed to withdraw their objections.

The U-turn has angered protesters, around 70 of whom attended this week’s meeting.

Their spokesman Tony Seaton said: “It looks like the council has backed out of the fight and has left us to do it for them. We believe the site in not sustainable because it is quite a distance from facilities in the village and people are going to have to travel a long way to reach them.”

He added: “We will have our work cut out at the appeal but the fight will go on. We can still object to the increased volume of traffic on the wider road network.”

Talks are on-going between the council and Commercial Estates who appealed to the planning inspectorate after the borough failed to determine their application within the 13-week deadline.

Councillors debated the aplication after the deadline and refused for a number of reasons including:

 - Lack of recreation facilities

- Proximity to designated areas of Sites of Special Scientific Interest

- Impact on the local infrastructure

- Lack of affordable housing

- Lack of sustainable transport links

-Poor sightlines for pedestrian, vehicular, and cycle access to the site from Rownhams Lane

 - Failure by the applicant to demonstrate available alternative sites on lower grade agricultural land

Fabrice Legris, of Rownhams Lane, said the proposals will leave GP surgeries and schools unable to cope with increased demand for places.

“My wife is a GP in North Baddesley and we already know that there is no room for more patients. Both North Baddesley and Lordshill GP surgeries, where most of the people from Rownhams are patients, are already stretched and will be unable to cope with 1000 extra residents if this development is approved,” he said.

Mr Legris  questioned the viability of the borough council’s revised Local Plan – yet to be adopted – which does not include this site for housing.

“What’s the point of having the plan? It is meaningless. What has happened to localism when we end up with councillors having decisions taken out of their hands? There is a very strong feeling in the village against this development,” added Mr Legris. 

Councillors debating the about face clashed.

Some blamed their own authority for not having an up to date Local Plan in force to prevent developers targeting farmland and green spaces.

Chairman of Southern Area Planning committee and Nursling and Rownhams member Phil Bundy said: “I will fight this at the appeal because I believe it is inappropriate development. I feel very sad that it has got to this stage. We are now all ending up with development that nobody wants because of the planning system.”

Valley Park ward’s Alan Dowden didn’t mince his words either.

“I blame my own party and the Conservatives because the rug has been pulled from planners and developers are calling the shots. It’s all down to the new National Planning Policy Framework,”he said.
He claimed the Government had taken decisions that should be made locally out of the council’s hands.

Chilworth member Alison Finlay advised Rownhams residents to fight their corner at the inquiry pointing out that she believes that the road network is not sustainable to take big increases in traffic.

And Nigel Anderdon expressed serious concerns about the lack of recreation facilities in the proposals which also includes a 60-bed care home.