“ALTON deserves better” is the message from The Alton Society over the reserve matters application, detailing the appearance, landscaping, layout and scale of development proposed for land east of Will Hall Farm, on Basingstoke Road.

While outline permission was granted by East Hampshire District Council in May 2015 for the building of 180 new dwellings on the 29-acre site, subject to full planning permission, the development is now being taken forward by Flintshire-based Redrow Homes and marketed under the name Hop Field Place.

But in line with some 54 letters of objection from the public, The Alton Society remains unhappy about the design of the houses, which members describe as “unsuitable for the topography and character of this site, both in detailed design and in grouping”.

And they added in their letter of objection: “We are confronted by the prospect of rows of hipped-roof villas of similar design in red brick, peppering a hillside that forms part of Alton’s very special setting.”

And they have criticised the layout, pointing out that while “the clear intention had been to reflect the predominant character of Alton’s housing, such as in the new town area, and to give a feeling of coherence to the public areas, these objectives have not been achieved, and could not be with the type of housing being proposed here.”

Society members have also criticised the inclusion of a Y-shaped priority layout for the junction with Lenten Street as not being in line with Hampshire Highways’ own traffic survey and have supported residents’ demands for a pedestrian crossing across the A339 near Will Hall Close.

Having carried out a detailed review of the reserved matters application by Redrow Homes, Amery Residents’ Association points out that, as the original owner of the site, Winchester College had made it clear that they aimed to have the land developed as a heritage site. And that, in submitting the original outline application on behalf of the college, Barton Willmore had noted, in its design code, that this should be taken into consideration.

As such, Amery Residents’ Association has expressed deep concerns over the proposed design and layout of the site but also of the impact of development on the fledgling River Wey which passes through the site and because, due to surface run-off, the site has a history of flash flooding.

There was concern also over the creation of the River Wey parkland which, although welcomed, will need strong management.

Other letters of objection refer to “the wrong development in the wrong place”, questioning why the Will Hall Farm application cannot now be shelved in favour of the Alton Brewery site which has now become available, and is “more central and, crucially, not a greenfield site”.

Others bemoan the “loss of productive farmland” and urge developers to “build on brown sites first”, while there are concerns too over lack of on-site parking, the “inappropriate” siting of affordable housing “poked into corners”, and the lack of inclusion of renewable energy in the overall design.

While originally concerned in particular about surface water drainage and localised flooding, car parking provision, and design and layout, commenting on the revised application, Alton Town Council’s planning committee has asked to be involved with pre-design discussions with Hampshire County Council in respect of associated highways works as members have concerns in respect of the layout and design of the junction of the Odiham Road and A339, the proposed roundabout at the bottom of Greenfields Avenue, and the provision of a pedestrian crossing near Will Hall Farm Close.

In addition, the town council has welcomed the developer’s offer to review the inclusion of renewable energy within the design of the development.