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100 new homes planned for Hungerford





A new document has unveiled West Berkshire Council plans for future housing development in the town. Preferred options are also listed for the Lambourn Valley area.
A meeting of the full council voted in favour of putting the Preferred Options Draft of the Housing Site Allocations Development Plan Document (DPD) out to consultation.
Hungerford district councillor James Podger (Con), said: “I’m voting for the public consultation but during that process I will make my objection known to large scale development in Hungerford.”
The DPD states that five hectares of land between Salisbury Road and John O’ Gaunt school is allocated for development and “could accommodate approximately 100 dwellings.”
It adds: “ The site is located adjacent to the settlement boundary of south Hungerford giving easy access to local services, facilities and the open countryside.”
The document alternatively recommends developing the Eddington area, grouping together land at Hungerford Veterinary Centre, part of Folly Dog Leg Field, Hungerford Garden Centre and Eddington itself.
The document goes on: “Together the sites have development potential for about 87 dwellings. The sites lie adjacent to the settlement boundary of Eddington, to the north of Hungerford.. .they are well located for access to the countryside and there are opportunities for walking and cycling.”
It concludes: “It is proposed that the sites are allocated for low to medium density development with a mix of dwelling sizes and types including affordable housing.”
The meeting agreed the proposals should be submitted to public consultation from now until September 12.
Some critics have pointed out that this is a time when many residents will be on holiday.
One resident who attended the meeting, Tim Bevan, said: “This development is on land of outstanding natural beauty and will blight the southern approach to Hungerford for ever and hide the views over open fields south to Coombe Gibbet. “It will also require another roundabout on the A 338. This will be in addition to the five there already, together with three zebra crossings, the canal bridge, the junction with the A4, the Tesco turning and HGVs loading and unloading at shops in the High Street.”
He predicted that the new residents commuting to work would cause more traffic jams in an already over crowded town centre and suggested:
“If Hungerford has to be developed further, it should be on the north side of the town where access to the M4, A4 and railway station will not involve commuters driving through the middle of the town.”
The town council has always opposed in principle any large scale development. Members have urged residents to respond to the consultation.
In Lambourn meanwhile, 5.7 hectares adjoining Lynch Lane is considered to be suitable for 56 homes, while land between Folly Road, Rockfel Road and Stork House Drive is considered to be developable for approximately 24 dwellings.
Great Shefford is designated as a service village within the North Wessex Downs area and two sites were initially earmarked. However, due to the severe flooding in the village last year which resulted in the village being largely cut, no additional development is now proposed.
You can comment via a consultation portal at http://consult.westberks.gov.uk/portal and register using the login/register section. Alternatively fill in the on-line consultation form which is available at www.westberks.gov.uk/housingsiteallocations and return it by email to planningpolicy@westberks.gov.uk



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