Cross Party Decision on the Future of Development in Winchester

At the Winchester City Council Full Council meeting on Thursday 8th December, City Councillors approved the publication of Winchester District Local Plan.

The plan sets the agreed locations for 11,000 new homes planned to be built in the Winchester district over the next 20 years.  The plan provides for 2,000 homes to be built on Barton Farm as well as an additional 2,000 elsewhere in the city.  The remaining 7,000 are provided for elsewhere in the District.

The development of this plan has taken many years which included extensive consultation with residents throughout the District, and was finally agreed with cross-party support at the December 2011 Full Council meeting.

Speaking specifically of Barton Farm, Leader of the Council, Conservative Cllr George Beckett said, “Over the period of 7 hours debate with many amendments being put and debated (some of which were site specific) not one of the 54 members present, from any of the three parties or Independent, made any proposal to remove the allocation of Barton Farm from the plan.  So this is truly the will of the Council, not one man or one party.”

Cllr Beckett went on, “By providing for development on Barton Farm through this plan we now have the opportunity in the Council to control future development and ensure it will include conditions to get the best for Winchester.”