Background Information
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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.​​
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Over the last five years STaNHD has been working to save the North Hampshire Downs. STaNHD worked on logical arguments to influence Basingstoke and Deane's decisions on their Local Plan, this development speculation was not included in the Local Plan that had been ready for publication in 2024.
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However since the new Government changed the number of houses they think that need to be built to double what was originally needed, Basingstoke and Deane have been forced to include sites such as Upper Swallick in their new prospective local plan. This is despite the knowledge that this site is totally unsuitable for many reasons and will destroy acres of countryside, farmland and create urban sprawl where it is not needed or wanted.
We believe that this downland is not the right place for a development of 2,500 houses.
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We have produced a video to illustrate the landscape that would be lost.
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As part of our original objection to the proposed Upper Swallick Garden Development, we analysed the Prospectus issued by The Portsmouth Estate and constructed a detailed technical review of this document. Please see here for the analysis:
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CPRE Hampshire, the countryside charity, also assessed the landscape and produced a document highlighting the value of this special landscape and countryside.
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We appreciate your support in our efforts to protect this countryside
We need to keep this development out of the Local Plan.
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We need you NOW!
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What can you do?
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Correspondence
A letter from STaNHD to Local Councillors 2021
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Dear Councillor,
A Legacy for Basingstoke?
There is no doubt that more housing is required to fulfil the Borough’s housing need, both now and in the decades to come. As Borough Councillors, you have a crucial role to play in ensuring that future developments meet these requirements. You have some tough decisions ahead, and the plans that you make today will impact the lives of everyone who lives in the Borough, now and in the future.
As residents of the Basingstoke and Deane, we have realised over the past year just how vulnerable the countryside all around Basingstoke is to development. At the same time, the town centre would appear to be crying out for regeneration and renewal, especially in the aftermath of Covid 19 as offices, retail and business units sit empty.
Here is a video ( see below) of the area of the North Hampshire Downs, south of Basingstoke, that is potentially to be affected by the development proposed by the Portsmouth Estates. This video has been produced by residents and Parish Councils of the area.
See below for a Valued Landscape Report, commissioned by CPRE Hampshire, which
illustrates just how highly regarded the countryside around Basingstoke is. Whilst our video shows just one area which is at risk, we would like to offer our support and help to any other areas in the Borough who might be facing similar challenges. By working together, we can protect and preserve the rural areas around Basingstoke so that all residents of the borough can continue to enjoy Basingstoke and Deane’s most valuable assets for generations to come.
Please spare us a few minutes of your time to watch this video and read this report. When this land– and other areas of countryside around Basingstoke which are proposed for development - is gone, it is gone forever. Wouldn’t it be great to leave the residents of the Borough a legacy that we can all be proud of? The choice is yours – please use it wisely.
Yours sincerely
STaNHD