Site: WH03

Andover Road WashWater

THIS SITE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR CHANGE OF USE TO A COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

Accessibility and Transport factors

1. Public transport is very poor, and any commercial development would require parking space for each employee.

2. There are no local shops for employees to use during lunch breaks.

Environmental factors

1. This area has a high water table

2. In the fields on which this development is proposed is the confluence of a stream and the river Enbourne. These fields are the flood plain, and the area floods on a regular basis each year.

3. This is good agricultural land.

4. This area is a basin/low site valley where pollution will "hang in the air". All the traffic that this development would bring in its wake will cause noise and exhaust pollution, as lorries will use low gears when shunting/reversing into the respective allocations on site.

5. This is a rural area without streetlights and such a development will demand 24 hour lighting, which will bring light pollution to the area.

Landscape factors

1. The river Enbourne and the flood plain is important to this landscape. On this water-meadow are a wide diversity of wild plants which encourage many variety of birds, mammals and ancillary wildlife.

2. This open landscape provides the border between Hampshire and West Berkshire with a natural gap and siting a warehouse ' facility' in this location would be bad planning.

Built Environment and Heritage Features

1. The development as displayed at the Corn Exchange* is wholly within Highclere, as the small stream is the boundary of this Parish. Highclere is the gateway to the North Wessex Downs and the County's first Parish, when heading South from West Berkshire along the A343. It is an historic Parish and Highclere Castle attracts visitors from around the world. It is therefore important to also maintain the original vista and retain as many open spaces and "borrowed" landscapes as possible. *It is noted that a further development plan referred to as "Phase 2" exists.

2. A development of such magnitude would unbalance the natural boundary between Berkshire and Hampshire and the visual impact of the area will be destroyed if building is allowed in this gap

Socio-economic Factors

1. This area has a small residential community, a touring caravan site, a pub, several farms and a few footpaths. Much of the sense of community derives from meeting along the lanes and footpaths, and a commercial development of this scale, possibly operating 24 hours a day will ruin the present existing community.

2. The "Employment Study" document prepared for B&D is important and it is quite clear in this document that the consultants believe there is more than enough industrial space in Basingstoke, much of which is owned by the council, and some of which needs redeveloping.

3. It is also clear that there is no need for local warehousing provision in the area. There is more than enough in Newbury, with excess capacity at Hambridge Road. There is spare regional capacity at Didcot which already has permission for expansion. A development at Wash Water will be of marginal service to Basingstoke itself - with some areas of Basingstoke not even falling within the applicant's definition of "local" distribution. Any jobs created are likely to go to Newbury people.

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Infrastructure costs and viability factors

1. It is doubtful that the roads could take the wear and tear of a major development during construction, as well as the increase in general vehicles and heavy goods vehicles movements over future years. There would be immense cost in developing the infrastructure to support a change of use on this site. Drainage costs would be significant both financially and in disruption to the roads in the immediate vicinity

2. There would have to massive road building to input and exit the actual site for the envisaged lorries and allied traffic. Because of it's sizing this would disrupt the flowing of local journeys by private cars and buses

3. The Newbury Bypass at this point has only short access roads designed for local traffic. They are not suitable for long vehicles and considerable improvements will be needed. The exiting of lorries to and from the by-pass would cause dangerous tailbacks on slip roads and the bypass itself, as it will not be possible for more than one lorry to utilise the acceleration lane. Here is the potential of disaster to traffic already on the by-pass and it is understood that the police have objected to the proposal because of the sub-standard junctions - which cannot be altered due to the presence of the bridge.

4. This area gets flooded so where is the water going. Will the developer provide millions of pounds for flood schemes downstream?

5. The Parish Council understand that development of this site will cause a security problem which will need to be addressed.