Basingstoke and Deane Borough: Context and Issues
Popham Airfield already has Sustainable Rural Businesses and embodies Diversification
Popham Airfield already has Sustainable Rural Businesses and embodies Diversification
Popham Airfield already enjoys great air quality. Building 3000 homes will have a major detrimental effect on air quality for the nearby houses.
Manydown has capacity for 7500 houses; Fig 4.1 shows the need is for 4650. YOU DON'T NEED TO TRASH POPHAM AIRFIELD.
Please delete this paragraph. Manydown can accommodate all the needed houses with greater than 50% overflow capacity. ie enough until about 2050! The Popham Airfield site - strangely described as a garden village is NOT NEEDED.
This is obviously 'boilerplate' including lots of buzzwords; ie: 'Garden', 'community centre', 'health facilities' , 'heathy lifestyle' (ie its out in the sticks!), 'exemplar community' (undefined tosh = UT?), 'characterful orchestration' (more UT), 'green infrastructure network' (it's already a green field), '10% biodiversity net gain' (an out and out lie...the current site has huge biodiversity with masses of wildlife species and diverse woodland, which would all be trashed by the 'garden village') ,'highly walkable' (it's several miles to the nearest pub or shop), 'access to high quality public transport' (there's none at present - no mention of frequency!), 'no adverse effect on local highway routes' (this is just absurd; the local roads are very narrow, and there is a nearby lorry depot, whose lorries take up the entire width of the road. On the road to Overton, there is a dangerous double bend concealing a very narrow bridge! Sticking in 3000 homes, ie 9000 cars in this rural location would be an unmitigated disaster),' 'Mobility Hubs' (these would take a lot of space in an already small site), 'accessing and egressing the A303 trunk road' (The slip roads would take a lot of space and compromise the 'noise barrier'), 'healthy and tranquil living environment' (it's right by the very busy A303 and inside the noise footprint of the nearby M3. The current boundary trees do not stop the continuous noise and at night sound is refracted downwards, amplifying the M3 noise), 'maximise movement by active modes' (UT! How?? People soon reverted from footpaths to their cars after the COVID lockdown!!), 'suitable infrastructure for sewarage...and other utilities (there is no nearby sewage works - Whitchurch works is 6 miles away and is already overloaded; there is no nearby electricity substation), 'solar farm' (buzzword - too small to be of use). I could go on...
Popham Airfield is a unique facility and is the 'jewel in the crown' of general aviation on the South-East. It is NOT a good policy to destroy part of the UK's strategic network of GA airfields just to build a large number of houses, which are not needed by the borough, in a very rural location ( a genuine, green-field site) with no public transport or suitable infrastructure. The airfield is home to about 150 aircraft, and the Spitfire Flying Club has about 450 members. There are a number of businesses: Microlight and Gyrocopter flying schools, aircraft maintenance organisation and thriving cafe with viewing areas (used by members and also many members of the public, including local clubs, motor-cyclists and tourists etc), plus space for frequent very well supported events with a large parking and camping area. It is a great community asset, with the facilities being used by people from a wide catchment area. The many on-site jobs include technical 'STEM' jobs as well as groundsmen, air-ground radio operators, admin staff, caterers etc. Popham is one of the most visited airfields in the UK, and it has a happy, friendly ambience. It is the site of major trade fairs for general aviation, cars, models air shows, etc; and hosts several competitions and charity events. plus the local Light Aircraft Association. The site includes much woodland and shrubbery, which is home to a wide range of birds and small mammals. 'Popham Garden Village' is a non-starter, regarding the great cost of providing infrastructure, including schools, health facilities and trunk road slip roads, for a huge number of residents, and would have an enormous impact on the small hamlet adjacent to the airfield, plus completely overloading the very poor local road network. IT SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE LOCAL PLAN!