A MEON VALLEY heritage group has backed the controversial plans for housing development in North Winchester.

Watchdog organisation The Bishop's Waltham Society says the extra housing would ease pressures on Winchester's Southern Parishes and Micheldever.

John Hayter, vice-chairman of the society, criticised objectors to the North Winchester proposals, which would see 2,000 homes being built on the Barton Farm site on the outskirts of the town.

He slammed all four political groups on the city council, and said: "They have totally ignored the impact on two-thirds of Winchester district residents who live outside Winchester itself."

He stressed the southern parishes had suffered considerable development and faced the prospect of more unless pressures could be relieved. He also thought that approval for development at North Winchester would restrict Eagle Star in any move it might make to get development at Micheldever.

He said proposed revisions to the county structure plan were open to public comments to the county planning officer by noon on December 3.

He said: "This is an opportunity for all those who are opposed to any development at Micheldever, to further large-scale development in the southern parishes, or who feel that Winchester urgently needs more low-cost housing and new employment provision, to have their say." He thought the North Winchester development should be welcomed because it was the only way in which significant numbers of low-cost homes and new employment sites could be provided.

"Unlike South Winchester, North Winchester raises no environmental impacts which are not similar to those in the city council's other settlements," he said, and claimed that if North Winchester went ahead, Eagle Star would then have to show that development at Micheldever was needed in addition to North Winchester.

"Current government guidance places priority on development through urban extension, so it could not be argued that Micheldever is a better location," he said.

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