Pitt Manor allocated for development by Planning Inspector
The Planning Inspector appointed by the Government has agreed the principle of developing 200 homes at Pitt Manor, south of Winchester. The City Council refused the application on a number of grounds, including highway issues, but the Inspector decided that the proposals were acceptable.
Pitt Manor was a local reserve site in the 2006 Local Plan and the release of the land was tested against policies in this plan and the South East Plan which the Government has still not abolished. Unfortunately the decision to allocate land at Barton Farm in the draft Core Strategy came too late to be a major argument in the appeal.
Cllr Rob Humby, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Enforcement said,
This is a disappointing outcome but unfortunately it was not unexpected. The Council has made the best progress it can in putting in place a new Core Strategy to show where development should be directed and it did not include Pitt Manor. But we also have the legacy of Government policies which have still not been changed to reflect the principles of localism and we could not argue against them.
We will now work with the applicant to ensure the final form of the development is as good as we can make it within the constraints of the Inspector’s decision.”