Bewley Homes plan for 245 homes near Skates Lane, Tadley to face second consultation
Plans to build 245 houses on the edge of Tadley would help local young families get on the property ladder - insists the developer behind the proposal, as passionate arguments over the land are stoked ahead of a second consultation.
The controversial application for a large development off Skates Lane - and the site’s potential inclusion in the council’s latest version of its draft Local Plan - has also prompted one councillor to quit the Liberal Democrat party in protest.
Bewley Homes first mooted plans for a large development on the land to the south of Tadley in June 2023 - submitting a formal planning application to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council eight months later in February last year.
The proposal - which attracted hundreds of comments when it first went before the public 18 months ago - is for a mix of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom homes along with a convenience store, play areas, green spaces and “improved” connections to the town centre.
But another round of consultation, the borough council has revealed, is now needed before any decision can possibly be made.
In a statement it explained: “The applicant is preparing additional information for submission, after which there will be another consultation period.
“No date has been set for the committee to determine this application, which will take place after the additional submission and consultation period.“
Around 100 properties - or 40 percent - promises Bewley Homes, would be ‘affordable’ and delivered through a local housing association.
It suggests this will help rebalance local housing needs at a time, it says, when families are being forced to move elsewhere because of a lack of suitable and affordable homes.
Andrew Brooks, Bewley Homes’ managing director, explained: “Tadley is Basingstoke and Deane’s second largest settlement, yet in over 20 years it has seen no housing allocations and only 120 new homes built – an increase of just 2.6 percent since 2001.
“By contrast, the borough as a whole grew by 13 percent. This lack of development has left Tadley with a rapidly ageing population, fewer young families, and some schools running way under capacity.
“Meanwhile, families are being forced to move elsewhere – often out of the borough – because there are simply not enough suitable and affordable homes in the town. That trend is borne out in census data, which shows Tadley’s population actually shrank between 2011 and 2021.”
In December 2023 Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council removed the land from its draft Local Plan - the document which dictates where future house building could take place.
Earlier this month however, the council discussed adding the site back into the long-term plan as the authority grapples with higher government house building targets, which has forced it to revisit parcels of land it had previously ruled out.
But the move has prompted Tadley and Pamper ward councillor Kevin Chatburn to step down from the Lib Dem party following the meeting - representing his constituents instead now as an independent.
Mr Chatburn - who was involved in the formation of the Tadley & Pamber Rural Protection (TPRP) group, formed in opposition to the Skates Lane plans when Bewley first announced them in 2023 - says his conscience couldn’t any longer allow him to be part of the party and ruling administration.
He said: “I was elected with a strong message and direction about opposing Skates Lane.
“Skates Lane shouldn’t be on the Local Plan.
“Nothing has improved about Skates Lane since it was rejected. The only thing that has changed is the government has increased its housing allocation.”
Seventy percent of the site in question, says Mr Chatburn, is within a Biodiversity Opportunity Area - areas specifically identified for their high potential to enhance biodiversity through habitat creation and restoration.
Brown hares, he notes, were among the creatures breeding there this summer.
“It’s a paradise” he added.
Fellow Tadley ward councillor Jo Slimin (Liberal Democrat) also objects to both Skates Lane’s inclusion in the Local Plan, and therefore the current Bewley Homes proposal too.
Ms Slimin cites similar bio-diversity concerns and “fantastic wildlife, a lack of public transport links and the fact that the nearby A340 is already at near-capacity” among very critical reasons as to why she believes the land remains unsuitable for houses.
And while the site does sit outside of the Detailed Emergency Planning Zone (DEPZ) Ms Slimin suggests its close proximity to AWE Aldermaston - where she serves on the liason committee - must remain a consideration when thinking about the number of people in an area in the event of any emergency.
She explained: “We are not Nimbys but this site is unsuitable for various reasons.
“The A340 cannot be expanded through Tadley.
“We are next door to a very live site called AWE that has an emergency plan for a reason.
“Where are people going to go? How could emergency services manage if the road was completely blocked?
“How could that work?”
Bewley Homes, which has released images of how any new properties in Tadley might look, believes there’s an “unprecedented” amount of support for its plan.
Mr Brookes added: “We know from in excess of 100 letters of support submitted for our application that many local people want to see change and new homes.
“This is an unprecedented level of support, and it is wrong to assume that the debate should always be dominated by objectors.
“This is a deliverable scheme in the right location, at the right time, to meet the needs of the second largest settlement in the borough.”
Basingstoke and Deane council says while the first formal consultation period for the Skates Lane application has finished, comments will still be accepted and considered until the application is determined.
The Skates Lane planning application can be viewed on the Basingstoke and Deane planning portal by searching reference 24/00349/OUT.
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