Update: Test Valley District Group

News from the Test Valley

The group now consists of: John Moon – acting Chair, Moya Grove, secretary, Bob Wren – Romsey, Luigi Gregori – Andover, Steve Lees – Planning advisor, Nick Walton – environment and water, and Robert Childs.

We are delighted to welcome Luigi Gregori, new to the committee. We are hoping to welcome another committee member shortly and are delighted to give our support to Natalie Hargreaves, CPRE Hampshire’s new Membership and Volunteer Coordinator whom we are meeting with in September.

Four of the committee met alfresco in August to discuss the response to Test Valley Borough Council’s Issues and Options consultation. Our report on this is drafted and being circulated.

We continue to monitor local planning applications, notably the solar array at Woodington Farm. This issue continues to rumble on within sight of the church where Florence Nightingale is buried.

We continue to monitor the nitrate issue and its effect on planning applications. This includes the proposed fishing lake at Freelands Wherwell which has used the nitrate issue as a tactic to gain acceptance. We did not object, but our concerns were passed to Test Valley Borough Council.

We registered an objection to nine dwellings at Cupernham Lane Romsey as it is outside the settlement boundary and are keeping a watching brief on 64 Houses at Abbotswood House Romsey (20/00599/FULLS).

We will be checking on the temporary permission for extended storage with no ground protection at the Fortis (Raymond Brown) site in Barton Stacey as it expires on 30 September.

The new government planning proposals are causing concern and we wonder just how far the Issues and Options consultation is compatible with the proposed trajectory.

John Moon john.moon@madasafish.com and
Moya Grove moyagrove@gmail.com
Test Valley District Group