400 homes could be built in Bishops Green

Land company wants Basingstoke and Deane to allocate site for housing

THE south side of Newbury could undergo a huge transformation after land in Bishops Green in Basingstoke and Deane was targeted for a 400-home development.

In October this year, Catesby Estates entered into an agreement with the owner of Bishops Green Farm, off Ecchinswell Road, opposite Ash and Eagle Road estates and just a stone’s throw from the West Berkshire border, to promote the land.

This means that Catesby Estates will try to get planning permission for a development and then market the site to housebuilders.

The land company is aiming to get the site allocated for housing in Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s 2011-2019 Local Plan, which provides the framework for where new developments can be built in the borough.

The plan was last updated in 2016, and preparation is now under way for an update in 2024.

Catesby Estates is working to get the Bishops Green site allocated for development in the forthcoming update.

In the company’s ‘vision’ for Bishops Green, it says it aims to turn it from an “incidental settlement” which emerged in response to military accommodation needs into a “sustainable village community”.

The vision says: “The key aim of the development would be to complement and extend the community centre to avoid displacing the existing core.

“The new facilities and homes will allow Bishops Green to have village status, which will bring further social and economic benefits over time.”

The vision goes on to state that the development will have a mix of house sizes, types and tenures, which will respond to local housing demand, as well as deliver new homes, supporting diversity and social balance for the community.

The homes will be energy efficient and will be designed and built to achieve carbon savings to help towards the borough council’s aim to be carbon neutral by 2030.

The site has also been chosen for its supposed employment and economic benefits.

As the nearby Greenham Business Park is a major employer, the vision argues that bringing new homes to the area will encourage the business park’s workers to move closer to work, as well as encouraging new companies to the area to match the availability of local employees.

A consultation is under way by Catesby Estates for feedback on the proposed development.

For more information, go to http://www.ecchinswell-pc.gov.uk/Home_2082.aspx