A bid to build a new house between Winchester and Eastleigh has been blocked over fears it would make sewage system problems even worse.
Officers recommended the plan for approval, but Winchester City Council’s planning committee voted instead to refuse permission for the site in Boyes Lane, Colden Common.
The plan would have seen an existing building replaced with a “contemporary” detached single-storey five-bedroom home and detached garage. Plans showed it would have natural stone and timber walls, a zinc roof and aluminium windows and doors.
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The application site covers about 0.6 hectares and includes part of the residential area of Arnewood House, a detached residential building, and an area of equestrian land to the east.
A riding arena and a group of stable buildings occupy the northern section of the site.
However, the Colden Common Parish Council objected because the proposal would be “unacceptable” as it contradicted Winchester’s local plan policy over countryside developments, and the house would create extra pressure on the Colden Common sewage system.
The parish council said there were already problems with the system “being overwhelmed and discharging sewage in Brambridge”, a new development would “add pressure on the drains and sewage problems in the village”.
During the planning committee meeting at Winchester council, the officer said that despite the proposal lying outside the settlement boundary of Colden Common, which is an area where new homes are “not normally permitted,” the council considered this case to be under “exceptional reasons” that justify granting permission since the council has a shortfall of 70 sufficient homes against the need recorded in the register up to 2020.
Adam Clarke, from Adam Knibb Architects, said applicants Mr Massey and Dr McGeoch wanted to create a “high quality, contemporary design, sustainable and suited in its context” building.
Addressing the parish council’s concern about the sewage system and the extra pressure it would generate, Mr Clarke reassured the room that the building regulation process “would be followed fully” if the application got approved.
He said Southern Water did not find this as a reason to refuse the application and neither the existing or proposed home would be connected to the main drainage and there would “not influence the drainage system on Colden Common”.
During the debate, Cllr Patrick Cunninghan said that he was worried that pressures to permit sufficient dwellings to meet the level of need within three years would “contravene” and “undermine” local plan policies and risk setting a precedent for building the countryside.
With three councillors in favour of the application and six against, the application was refused by the Winchester City Council planning committee (June 12).
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