Fareham Borough Council’s planning committee went through the process of looking at the outline planning application – but the council had already run out of time to actually decide it.
The developer has taken the decision to appeal and the application will now be decided by the government’s Planning Inspectorate.
At the near 2.5-hour meeting on August 8, the councillors narrowly voted in favour of rejecting the plans for 1,200 homes on land south of Longfield Avenue, despite it already being adopted by the council in the local plan.
Council officer Rachael Hebden said this application was unusual because it had an extra document detailing how housing, the care home and school would be sited.
It showed how the “strategic gap” – which keeps the boundary between Fareham and Stubbington separate – would remain as a green space in the plans.
Tensions ran high in the large council chamber during debate and from the public gallery.
A community nurse was escorted out of the chamber as she heckled the officer, saying: “He is talking a load of bull.
“Dismissing the concerns of the community. Having a healthy community is a happy community.“
Another member of the public insisted on standing to speak, saying the council held the British public in contempt for allowing the housing.
He said: “The whole lot of you should be in the Tower of London.”
The application put forward by developers Hallam Land Management Ltd outlined plans for up to 1,200 homes, an 80-bedroom care home, a primary school, an 800 square metre commercial centre, a community centre, a 700 square metre healthcare facility, a county park and sports facilities with walking and cycling routes.
There had been hundreds of objections including from two MPs for this proposal since it was first put forward in 2020.
For nearly 16 minutes, Fareham mayor Pal Hayre listed objections as ward councillor for Stubbington and a Hampshire county councillor.
The Conservative councillor’s criticisms included the current and future sewage management by Southern Water having seen sewage coming out of pipes it said it had fixed at a new development; doubting how the NHS would staff the new medical centre; congestion and pressure on roads in the area and schools not having enough capacity.
Lee Smith, head of planning, reminded the panel that the council had already agreed to build 1,200 units at this site as part of the local plan which is part of the council’s 653 per year housing target.
He said the strategic gap had been redrawn and agreed which he said might seem like “tough love” but these decisions had already been made.
Councillor Paul Whittle (Lib Dem, Portchester Wicor) said the council had previously promised to protect the strategic gap and green spaces when Welborne was accepted as a housing scheme: “What happened to all those promises?”
Councillor Paul Nother (Lib Dem, Portchester Wicor) was concerned about transport infrastructure not being in place and challenged the transport modelling for the scheme, saying: ”Does it ever really work out? Let’s get the infrastructure in place and revisit this.”
Labour councillor Gemma Furnivall for Fareham South, who works in the health sector, welcomed the scheme saying it would provide facilities for her residents across the road from her ward, including a community centre, and sports facilities.
Councillor Ian Bastable (Con, Park Gate) said the principle of development had already been agreed and there was a need to be pragmatic and accept that consultees like Southern Water will do what they say they will do. He said this plan needed to be approved so that detailed conditions as regards infrastructure could be listed in detail by the planning officers, saying the hands of the officers have been weakened.
The planning inspector will start the Inquiry on application P/20/0646/OA at 10am on October 29 and is currently scheduled to take place over eight days.