Wealthy homeowners who live in the Hampshire countryside have been left furious after a viscount launched plans to build a 2,500-home ‘garden village’ right on their doorstep.
Viscount Lymington and his company, Farleigh North Farm, put forward plans to construct an enormous 378-acre housing development known as ‘Upper Swallick’ on farmland surrounding the tiny villages of Farleigh Wallop and Cliddesden.
The proposal has infuriated residents, who claim the homes – which would virtually connect the area with neighbouring Basingstoke – will destroy their local village.
Proposals for Upper Swallick garden village includes 1,000 affordable properties, a primary school, a new village centre with shops, a commercial space, sports pitches and community facilities as well as plans for traveller pitches.
A staggering 11,800 people have signed a petition against the planning application submitted by Oliver Wallop – a British peer based in the area.
Critics claim developers are trying to emulate King Charles-backed Poundbury – adding that the area – in the North Hampshire Downs – is not suitable because it is ‘widely regarded for its outstanding natural beauty with rolling countryside’.
And villagers are not just voicing their concerns through petitions. Hundreds of locals have held protests outside the council offices with banners saying ‘No To Upper Swallick’ and ‘Don’t Destroy Our Village’.
More than 200 locals attended a consultation event in the neighbouring village of Cliddesden, where campaigners gave hand-written objection letters to developers.
Residents in Hampshire stood in front of the fields at the centre of plans to build an enormous 378-acre housing development known as ‘Upper Swallick’
Residents claim the homes, which could virtually connect the area with neighbouring Basingstoke, will destroy their local village
Pictured: A map of where the development at Upper Swallick would be located
They said that the increased traffic will worsen conditions on the A339, which is considered a ‘death trap’.
Campaigners also complained the development will eliminate wildlife since the area is a hotspot for skylarks, rare birds, and 10 different species of bat.
Basingstoke and Deane Council leader Paul Harvey has previously acknowledged that they were ‘reluctant’ to include Upper Swallick in their draft, but blamed the Labour government’s increased housing targets for forcing their hand.
The construction programme, if approved, is set to span 18 years with a start being made in 2028 and completion not expected until around 2046.
At peak construction in 2031, the developer anticipates up to 316 heavy, medium and light goods vehicle deliveries per week.
Surveys found that 96 per cent of the 378 acres of agricultural land that will be lost is graded as the ‘Best and Most Versatile Quality’.
Campaigner Dee Haas, who has lived in the area for over 30 years, also blamed Labour’s housing target for forcing the council’s hand ‘even when it feels like they don’t want to’.
The 69-year-old said: ‘[Basingstoke] has had the second most houses built since the War only behind Milton Keynes but the problem is the infrastructure needs to keep up.
Pictured: Farleigh Wallop Manor, home of Viscount Lymington whose company, Farleigh North Farm, have put forward the plans
Pictured: What the homes at Upper Swallick could look like. The construction programme, if approved, is set to span 18 years with a start being made in 2028 and completion not expected until around 2046
‘If in 10 years time they have worked on the water and the sewage and other aspects that need work then we could be in a position for a development.
‘We also believe that what they are planning is not a garden village in the strict sense of the word.
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‘What we have at the moment is a very tight-knit rural community. This is only going to dwarf what we have. They could be building almost ten times the houses of the two villages that are here now. It is not going to become a Poundbury.
‘I think the government needs to think about planning developments better because they currently have a broken system.’
Richard Longfield, who lives in a £3.25m house near Basingstoke, said: ‘The A339 is already a death trap and any further traffic can only increase fatalities, with all the personal grief and heartache that implies.
‘The pressure to continue building thousands of houses against such a background is clearly not just a local scandal, but a national one.
‘When houses continue to be built in areas already short of water, and when lavatories cannot be flushed because household sewage cannot be collected, something is seriously wrong with the efficacy of local democracy.’
Edward Longfield, who lives at the same address, added: ‘This site forms part of the highly valued North Hampshire Downs, an area widely regarded for its outstanding natural beauty, with rolling countryside, open views, and tranquil rural character that defines the setting of nearby villages such as Cliddesden and Ellisfield.
Campaigner Dee Haas (pictured), who has lived in the area for more than 30 years, blamed Labour’s housing target for forcing the council’s hand ‘even when it feels like they don’t want to’
‘I believe the scale of this proposal would cause irreversible harm through urbanisation and loss of this sensitive landscape, contrary to the need to protect and conserve areas of high visual and environmental quality.
‘I believe the location is fundamentally unsustainable.’
Hampshire resident Kate Percival said: ‘No amount of ‘blinding-us-with-science’ can conceal the fact that 2,500 houses will fundamentally desecrate valuable agricultural land, and grade 1+ 2 heritage environments.
‘Yet again I point out that the A339 is known as the ‘Most Dangerous Road’ in Hampshire, if not further afield. The focus needs to be on better public transport, not 5,000 more cars.
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‘The glossy brochures mention that there will be only ‘low adverse impact’ to the surrounding community. This is laughable.
‘The disruption and noise and dramatic increase in population in what is essentially a small rural agricultural area will be immense, with irreversibly damaging consequences.’
Louis Bowden, who also lives in the area, described the proposal as a ‘new town not a village extension’.
He said: ‘It would permanently replace agricultural land and open countryside with large-scale development, causing significant and irreversible harm to landscape character.
‘It represents a clear step towards the urbanisation of the wider countryside and loss of the rural character that defines this area. This proposal is unsustainable, harmful and should be refused.’
Pictured: Signs protesting against the proposed plans for the homes
Alan Tyler, chair of Cliddesden Parish Council, has consistently argued that the building work would set a dangerous precedent, saying: ‘Once the M3 is breached, the whole countryside to the South East of Basingstoke becomes a target for developers.
‘We are not against building in the countryside, but it is the amount of building that concerns us.’
Viscount Lymington, who owns the land, said he is ‘passionate about creating a high-quality and attractive community’.
He has been contacted for further comment.
The deadline for public responses on the Basingstoke and Deane Council planning portal is May 27.
