Plans for 2,500 homes at One Horton Heath to be discussed

At 4pm today, the Horton Heath Development Management Committee will meet to discuss an application by Eastleigh Borough Council for outline planning permission.

The plans set out the housing and key infrastructure for the One Horton Heath development on land bounded by Burnetts Lane, Fir Tree Lane and Allington Lane.

This includes up to 2,500 homes, a local centre, public open space, a primary school as well as footpaths, cycle paths and new roads.

This comes after outline planning permission was previously granted for up to 1,400 homes on the site.

Plans for new homes at One Horton Heath. Photo from: Eastleigh Borough Council.

Leader of the council, Keith House said: “One Horton Heath is unlike any major development in the country. It is driven by the Council for the community, not by a developer for private profit.

"It will create a genuine community with higher standards of space, construction and environmental standards than conventional housing, with infrastructure delivered first rather than an afterthought.

“The major roads will be completed before any homes are occupied. Over a third of homes will be Council homes for rent, and another quarter market rent with the option of lifetime tenancies and future purchase.

"So One Horton Heath works for everyone with over half of the site given over to green space, a new local school and local centre, retirement homes and green energy built in from day one."

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Council officers have recommended that the committee supports the application in principle and delegates the decision to the Executive Head for Planning and Economy, in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair.

Residents and other members of the community have been invited to attend the meeting to give their views to the committee as well as ask questions.

Eastleigh MP, Paul Holmes, is one of those who is planned to speak at the meeting.

He told the Echo beforehand: "It is deeply disturbing that One Horton Heath is being pushed through against resident’s wishes and without proper scrutiny.

“This application represents more overdevelopment of our green fields and will make the existing flooding problems even worse. However, of greater concern, is that the Committee are being asked to give unelected officials complete control over this project.

“If Councillors on the committee approve this application in this way, the residents of Fair Oak and Horton Heath will not forget that when their Councillors were asked to make one of the most important decisions about their local area, they were missing in action.”