Concerns over road safety as work on Sungrove Farm in East End begins
Work has begun on the controversial Sungrove Farm scheme which polarised opinion in East End.
The farm – which is opposite applicant Emily von Opel’s Malverleys estate – is currently fenced off by tall white hoardings as building work takes place.
The farmhouse on the site has been demolished and will be replaced by a mixed-use development housing a farm shop, bakery, café and education space.
Work is expected to last for around 18 months, however concerns have already been raised about the impact of the development on the parish’s roads.
Although the roads around the village were already in a poor state, East Woodhay parish councillors have expressed fears that trucks in and out of the site are exacerbating their condition, with the road shoulders being degraded, drainage ducts blocked and the destruction of roadside verges.
A council spokesperson said: “The road has sufficient width for two cars to pass with care, but not for the major construction traffic utilising it to gain access to the site.
“The obliteration of the road edges and the progressive depression of the manhole cover all present current potential hazards to cyclists and to passenger vehicles which cannot wait for post construction remedial action, should any be forthcoming.”
Councillor Karen Titcomb said: “The degradation is horrific.
“I’m just really worried that a young driver from East End to Woolton Hill will roll over.”
Graham Dick added: “There are three trucks that can’t pass and that’s what’s causing the degradation.”
The council actioned for Mr Dick to ask Hampshire County Council's highways department to carry out a safety inspection of the road conditions and take “appropriate action to address the ongoing damage caused”.
The application had a rocky road to being approved.
Mrs von Opel – wife of billionaire Georg von Opel – submitted the scheme in order to “give something back to the community”.
However, the plans met with opposition by some residents, who formed campaign group Friends of East End to rally opposition to the scheme on the grounds of noise and light pollution and the scale of the project.
The parish council initially supported the scheme, before performing a U-turn after a critical report by the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which said the plans would have a detrimental impact on the surrounding area.
Despite the parish council’s concerns however, the proposals were given the green light by Basingstoke and Deane borough councillors in January last year.
Borough councillors argued that the scheme was on an appropriate scale with a “fairly modest” impact, and wouldn’t have the “disturbing effect the local people are suggesting”.
Conditions on the application say the building can only open for trade between 8am and 7pm Monday to Thursday, 8am to 9pm on Friday, 9am to 9pm on Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday, while the external terrace can only be used between 8am and 7pm on any day.
Deliveries meanwhile can only take place between 7am and 7pm Monday to Saturday.
