Housing Growth Response

The Parish Council have sent the following response to Winchester City Council Strategic Planning

Response to Housing Growth proposal for Sutton Scotney

Wonston Parish Council have engaged with residents at two meetings and sought additional feedback via requests on our website and through social media. The response of the Parish Council to the Housing Growth proposals therefore reflects the opinions and concerns of residents.

The Parish Council strongly opposes the proposal to allocate additional new housing to the Brightlands site in Sutton Scotney.

Primary concern – Sewerage

Sutton Scotney, and particularly Saddlers Close residents, have already suffered three miserable years of noise and odour nuisance. The current tankering of waste from three sites in the village is entirely unacceptable.

It was with some astonishment that the Parish Council discovered that Strategic Planning appeared to be unaware of these issues.

Southern Water have already taken considerably longer than originally promised to present a ‘solution’ to the issues at Saddlers Close and Gratton Close. Note that their ‘solution’ only covers these sites.

They are now suggesting that a solution will be in place in 2024/25 – almost 6 years after the problems began but

• How do we know that they will meet this timescale when they have failed to meet their own previous timescales?
• No approaches have yet been made to landowners on the proposed route of a pipeline which they suggest will be completed in two and a half years’ time – are they being unrealistic/overly optimistic?
• No explanation has been provided on how the future capacity figures have been calculated and these do not appear to take into account other STP’s in Sutton Scotney which are already failing or at capacity. A survey of existing sites would appear prudent so that any existing or future need from current dwellings could be accommodated before future development is considered.

Other concerns

There is a general lack of infrastructure in Sutton Scotney to support additional homes:

• Surgery – Over 90% of those responding to the Parish Council consultation have expressed concern about adding additional patients to a surgery which is already seen to be struggling to meet demand from current patients.
• No regular or affordable public transport and no local employment.
• Already a significant shortage of school places at the only school (South Wonston) which has a school bus service.
• Flooding and highways issues around the site at Brightlands.

In conclusion

Wonston Parish Council is opposed to any further development in Sutton Scotney until Southern Water commences construction work to rectify the escalating problems with sewage in the community.

Southern Water have failed, to date, to meet their obligations or any of their own timescales and the Parish Council has lost trust that they will now deliver the promised scheme in the timeframe which they have given. Experience suggests that they will not.