By Joanna Lewis

IT was bad timing. I’d just returned to Winchester after a week on an island in the Andaman Sea, off the coast of Thailand. The spa complex had been built in keeping with the surroundings, using local materials, to the highest of standards. It was stunningly beautiful, reflecting the natural aesthetics of the area, and the times. Upset by Blue Planet II, staff banned plastics. After staggering around my local supermarket with jet lag and narrowly avoiding reversing the car into my own shopping trolley, I thought how nice it would be to collapse on the sofa and read my favourite newspaper; a gentle return to reality….

How wrong could I have been! Front page Chronicle news was the city council’s decision to approve a budget hotel where Next used to be. This was despite objections from the esteemed City of Winchester Trust, and some of its own officers. Affordable hotel accommodation is great in principle. But the appearance of what is proposed is a crime against this city. It occupies prominent position on the High Street, with a large frontage. Yet what has been approved has all the charm of 1930s crematorium. I was so aghast I wanted to drive into town and make a citizen’s arrest. What stopped me was that it was Friday and I probably wouldn’t find anywhere to park!

Hampshire Chronicle:

Did anyone realise the council had an Urban Design Unit?! There’s been no design in evidence other than out of character, over-sized, dark brick eyesores that allow the developer to cut their costs. Where did they train? An away-day to North Korea?

Look at Barton Farm and the fields of ugliness. I’ve lost count of the number of people who can’t believe how bad it looks and try not to drive past the site as they find it too depressing. Experts are also appalled. The hugely respected, award-winning Winchester architect Huw Thomas says they’re “an example of very poor urban design reminiscent of the dreary ‘little boxes’ of the 1960s”.

The Chesil Care Home. Or Lodge as it’s been rebranded. The only lodge aspect is the number of complaints. As residents pointed out from day one, the exterior was totally out of keeping with old Winchester opposite, now dwarfed and darkened by the depressing, dull and now dangerous façade. When the sun catches some of the metal, it reflects back on the houses opposite. At least temporary blindness means they can’t see the monstrosity for a few minutes.

And now we have the 62-bedroom Travelodge. The modest architectural changes proposed by City of Winchester Trust were spot on and common sense. All they asked for was a design that was not bland, flat, ugly and imposing. But it seems that’s what the Planning Department love. It’s well known among home owners here, that if you want something approved, you include glass, concrete and steel. If you want something traditional, it’ll be rejected.

What’s also disturbing is how the proposals were passed without being referred to the Planning Committee. Such a major site on the High Street is significant enough to merit the watchful eye of councillors. It’s further evidence that Claer Lloyd Jones’s concerns – that this is a council led by officers and not democratically elected councillors – have never been addressed. And it warns of how Bar End and Silver Hill 2 will turn out if this tyranny continues…

There’s also a failure to respect a less obvious Winchester tradition. Consider our ancient almshouses and St Cross Hospital. Buildings constructed for the least well-off in society whom, it was deemed, deserved the same quality of design as the richest.

Winchester needs an urban planning unit with a design brief approved by people who live here and who like living here; fit for a historic city of major heritage importance.

With local elections looming, let’s ask candidates what they’re going to do about it.