Newlands finally secures Basingstoke scheme

By Liza Helps Property Editor Logistics Matters

NEWLANDS SUBMITTED its third set of planning proposals to Basingstoke & Dean Council in October last year for a much scaled down scheme of 8 units in six blocks totalling 920,000 ft2 and was given the green light by the council on Wednesday this week.

The first 2.917 million ft2 industrial and logistics scheme had Amazon as anchor tenant and second smaller scheme of 1.25 million ft2 had Lidl as anchor tenant – both were eventually rejected by the council and the second attempt was turned down by the Planning Inspector at appeal in December 2022.

Both proposed schemes were highly controversial. The first was initially granted but then refused after a legal challenge by Dummer Parish Council on the grounds that it would destroy local biodiversity, and that there was “no overriding public need”. In addition to the legal threat from the parish council there had been a well supported campaign to save 80 oaks within the parish supported by Sarah, The Duchess of York and 95,000 other signatories.

The second proposal, which protected the avenue of oak trees, was refused by the council’s Development Control Committee who over-rode planning officers’ recommendations citing ‘the detrimental impact of the proposed development on the character and visual amenity of the landscape’.

This was taken to appeal and was dismissed by Government planning inspector Stephen Wilkinson who wrote in his final report that the reason for refusal – concerning the amount of floorspace proposed for the site – is more intrinsic than the developer’s arguments.

“I conclude that the degree of harm caused by this scheme would be of such significance that it conflicts with policies of Basingstoke and Deane Local Plan 2016.

This third application was much scaled down and reduced the height of the building considerably. On its scheme website the developer wrote that it had ‘responded positively to the previous Appeal Inspector’s comments and is bringing forward a full planning application for critical supply chain infrastructure.’

It said the ‘new proposals will take a different approach to the scale, height and massing of the buildings, ensuring they blend with the natural landscape more effectively, thereby reducing impacts on views from Dummer and the surrounding areas’.

These changes to the plans have obviously satisfied the council  and the development is now thought to be on course to start construction in 2025.