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The Botley Parish Action Group (BPAG) was formed to stop plans
for massive over-development that would blight the area
of Botley, Durley, Curdridge and Hedge End. After claiming in July 2010 to have abolished the original plans, Eastleigh Borough Council have immediately compiled another plan to destroy the same area with large scale building. They also promised to protect local communities, but now so soon after... Botley is again under threat from EBC !
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1 Jan 2012 | BPAG submits response to
Draft Local Plan consultation | 
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the BO1 document 
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the HE1 document | BPAG has submitted its responses to the Draft Local Plan consultation. There are two response documents that refer to the proposals for large scale housing development sites in the Botley area: - "BO1" refers to the Botley Park Golf Course site
- "HE1" refers to the Woodhouse Lane site.
See the documents on the right. | | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
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13 October 2011 | EBC has approved new plans for
massive building in the Botley area | On 13th October, Eastleigh Borough Council approved the Cabinet’s recommended plans for massive building in the Botley area - in exactly the same area as the SDA that was abolished last July.
This was despite a number of good presentations and speeches made against the proposal, from BPAG, the Botley Housing Group, Chairman of Botley Parish Council, Botley Park Golf Club, and others.
The plan is for 2,700 houses in the Botley area, including 1,400 on the Botley Park golf course, 1,000 on Woodhouse Lane and 300 on Winchester Street.
Unfortunately this Council is not keeping its promise to protect the area, made when the SDA was abolished. It is also brushing aside very valid Local Residents' opinions and objections. They claim to "welcome representations", but then ignore them. With its bad planning decisions, the Council will destroy Botley. It appears to resent having to scrap the SDA. The reason for its decisions is hard to understand...
The next step in their process is a public consultation, from 28 October to 3 January 2012 (see details) . Within this is a series of exhibitions of the plans, and the schedule for the remaining ones is below. We urge everyone to go along, see the proposals and raise your concerns directly with the planners. | | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
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15 Sep 2011 | EBC Cabinet still want massive building in Botley area.
But residents' survey rejects the plan. | 
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the document | In an astounding about turn, Eastleigh Borough Council Cabinet on Thur 15 Sept voted to recommend new plans for massive building in the Botley area. Only last July the Council publicly abolished the SDA, with promises and assurances to protect the area. Yet this proposal is in exactly the same area as the rejected SDA. Their recommendation will be put to the full Council meeting on 13 Oct. There were a number of speakers against the proposal, including BPAG, the new Botley Parish Housing Group (set up by Botley Parish Council), Cllr Cathie Fraser and Cllr Rupert Kyrle. But the vote went through without meaningful debate. Prior to the meeting, all of the Cabinet members were sent the results of a BPAG survey of Boorley Green residents. It was carried out to collect the residents' views on the EBC claim that Boorley Green needs additional facilities - which could be provided by building 2,400 houses. The suvey shows that the residents overwhelmingly reject the EBC view and the repeat proposal for massive building: - 84% do not want the aditional facilities in Boorley Green at all
- 95% do not want them if it means massive building
- 98% do not want 1,400 houses built on the Botley Golf Course
- 95% do not want 1,000 houses built on the Woodhouse Lane site.
See the full results on the right. | | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
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18 July 2011 | Botley Under Threat Again From EBC | On Thursday 14th July, Eastleigh Borough Council passed the proposed Local Development Framework which included a possible 2,400 houses in the original SDA area. This goes against Keith House's statement when the SDA was abolished, and all the Lib Dem Councillors voted for the recommendation, including our own representatives, Rupert Kyrle and Cathie Fraser.
Keith House stated that the LDF was needed to prevent developers from having free rein in the Borough, and having reviewed the projected total housing needs, all but 1,400 could be met by utilising: - sites already agreed
- further sites such as that west of Woodhouse Lane in Hedge End (1,000 houses) which were in the Council's view needed to provide recreational facilities to support the Grange Park area, and large scale development was the only way to do this.
The remaining 1,400 would be either Allington Lane or Botley Park Hotel Golf Course, and a borough wide public consultation would be undertaken in August at the household level (not individual).
BPAG and four other independent members of the public spoke out against the proposal in its current form at the Thursday meeting, on several counts: - the recommendation did not provide for the full and open consultation that EBC committed to when they announced the abolition of the SDA. The proposal is for a closed consultation on the Council's preconceived agenda.
- the proposal has no regard for the defined strategic gap at Woodhouse Lane between Hedge End and Botley.
- there was no recognition that the two sites, Woodhouse Lane and the Golf Course are less that 500 yards apart and will total 2,400 houses if both proceed. Both are in the original SDA area.
- the Golf Course site was rejected for very good reasons, including traffic overload in Botley and Hedge End even without considering the Whiteley expansion and potential relief road, difficulties with infrastructure, particularly water and sewage, and the loss of green field and recreational land.
- the Golf Course is potentially grade 1 agricultural land and supports a valuable ecology.
- the proposed public consultation is likely to pitch the people of West End against those of Botley and would allow EBC to defend any decision they make as being that of the population.
BPAG fully understands the need for additional housing, but do not agree with the proposed scale. BPAG also appreciates the legal requirement for the LDF and the consequences if it is not put in place. However, we contend that the preliminary consultation on the choice of either a) Allington or b) the Golf Course, should be one allowing full comment rather than just a household count for or against.
BPAG is meeting with EBC to understand the detail of the consultation.
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