The relaxation of planning rules in the Budget could mean that developers are more able to overcome local opposition to the building of new homes. But developers will not be given free rein; new housing schemes must be the result of a partnership with the local community. The forging of such relationships will be fraught with problems, however, as the St Mary’s Park scheme shows.
The scheme in the pretty Hampshire village of Hartley Wintney is now an example of how a housebuilder and local community worked together to get some of what they both wanted. It took a while to get there, though. The development of 177 homes is the result of more than ten years of High Court legal battles and vociferous local opposition in which Whitehall finally became involved. But the story of the building of this estate is also an example of how a local community and a developer can overcome considerable differences.
It is not hard to see why the residents of Hartley Wintney were averse to the idea of a large-ish housing estate on their doorstep, particularly a housing estate built by Barratt. This is a beautiful village: green, pleasant and full of well-preserved listed buildings. Hartley Wintney is made up of a number of conservation areas and its wooded common land, scattered with broad oak trees, is protected and rich in birdlife. There is a lively community and its cricket club, one of the oldest in England, is a big attraction.
Young families migrate from London suburbs for the good schools and rural life. It has independent and organic food shops, quaint pubs and a good range of restaurants typical of any vibrant middle-class village. It is only an hour’s train commute to Central London from nearby Winchfield, which may be as desirable to some as the scenery.
But all the ready-made charm, rural surroundings and local amenities come at a price. Anne Bellicoso, of McCarthy Holden, a local estate agent, says: “Prices are just below their 2007 peak, between 5 per cent and 10 per cent. A two or three-bedroom Edwardian house can be as much as £500,000 and detached period properties can cost up to £800,000.”
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The scheme, which provides for everything from two-bedroom houses to large five-bedroom family homes, and some affordable housing, is currently Barratt’s bestselling site. More than 1,600 people pre-registered for the scheme and 17 houses have sold since it launched in February; this is the highest interest shown in any of the housebuilder’s schemes in the past decade. Two and three-bedroom houses start at £243,995 and £349,995 respectively.
Christine Toms, of the Hartley Wintney action group, says: “We had valid reasons to object [against] the development because it was on greenfield land. The [privately owned] field was high-grade agricultural land down a narrow lane on the edge of the village. This means that there would be a big increase of traffic through the village. It was a heavily oppposed scheme and we fought it for 13 years. I am not a Nimby — I believe in development — but I was opposed to the location.”
John Fitzgerald, the managing director of Barratt Southern Counties, says: “We knew it was a contentious development, so we tried to involve and work with the local community and parish council to allay some of their fears. People are afraid of the big, bad developer. We wanted to engage the local community and turn it into a positive thing.”
A field was given over to the community, in accordance with Section 106, but it is building tennis courts for a local school, improving a footpath and donating money towards the restoration of the bells in the nearby St Marys Church.
Dorothy Harvey, of the Hartley Wintney parish council, says: “We made sure that the village benefited from the development once we knew it was going ahead. Barratt tried hard to provide some benefit for the local community. The dog-walking field will have allotments for locals and they have planted trees, put up rustic fences and created green open spaces within the development, which has helped to maintain the rural ambience of the village. There will still be some people who are upset, but we are pleased with how the site has been developed.”