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STaNHD

Stand up for the North Hampshire Downs

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 STaNHD is a group formed by local people to protect and promote the North Hampshire Downs for the community and future generations to experience and enjoy.

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Basingstoke has long valued and protected its unique setting within the surrounding countryside. This commitment is clealy reflected in the current Local Plan Policy SS6, which prohibits development in the countryside except under strictly defined circumstances.

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In recent years, the Council has faced growing pressure from developers seeking to bypass this policy through speculative planning applications. These developers see the revision of the Local Plan as an ideal opportunity to build in the countryside. This has been further exacerbated by the current Governments's increased housing targets.

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Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council now faces a massive increase in housing targets, since 2024 the number of houses the council is required to plan for has doubled.​

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The Council has now reached a watershed moment on this matter and the decisions that it takes on the new Local Plan will define the future of Basingstoke. Will the town become yet another urban sprawl extending into the countryside towards adjacent conurbations? Or will they defend one of its most prized assets, its setting.  

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The proposed Upper Swallick development perfectly illustrates the challenges the Council faces if its legacy for protecting the countryside is to be safeguarded.  

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We believe that there are key areas that Councillors need to consider in assessing Upper Swallick.

Portsmouth Estates have submitted an initial proposal for 1,500 homes to be included in the next Local Plan. ​This would ultimately form a new town consisting of at least 2,500 houses concreting over a vast area of productive farmland on pristine chalk downland.

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This development, referred to as Upper Swallick, would dwarf the nearby villages of Cliddesden, Ellisfield and Winslade as well as affect surrounding areas, stretching from the M3 to the A339.​​

 

For decades the M3 has been recognised as a boundary protecting the countryside from urban sprawl. The proposed development would breach this long-respected border, setting a dangerous precedent for further loss of rural land.

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The decisions made in the new Local Plan will define the future of Basingstoke.  Will the town protect one of its most valuable assets - its natural setting - or allow urban sprawl to consume the countryside?

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The Upper Swallick proposed development highlights exactly what is at stake. It encapsulates the difficult decisions the Council must make if it wishes to preserve its long-standing legacy of countryside protection.

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STaNHD believe there are many crucial factors that must be taken into account when considering the Upper Swallick proposal.​

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The North Hampshire Downs need our protection.

The aim is to preserve this beautiful landscape for future generations

Once this farmland is gone, it is gone.

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Click here to read STaNHD's key objections: