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Bohunt Manor - PC meeting - SOS Bohunt Manor Community Action Group (20th Feb 2015 - 09:51:00) We attended the Parish Council Meeting last Monday and addressed the committee with the reasons why our Group was Objecting to the Proposal to develop the Bohunt Manor Estate. Our lengthy presentation was not reported in this week’s edition of the Liphook Herald although comments from those supporting the application were reported. We have sought from the Editor of the Liphook Herald clarification of the reasons for not reporting. To ensure that members of the public can be advised of the contents of our presentation we thought we would publish it ourselves on Liphook Talkback, so here it is. SOS Bohunt Manor Community Action Group address to the Bramshott & Liphook Parish Council Planning Committee on Monday 16th February 2015 • “The SOS Bohunt Manor Community Action Group was formed in 2013 to resist any attempt to develop the historic Bohunt Manor Estate. We object to the current planning application!! • We have submitted detailed comments on the application to the SDNP planning department. These comments have been copied to the Parish Council for their information. • Points covered in our comments are the national Planning Policy Framework, the Joint Core Strategy, UK Government & Circular, Scenery, Infrastructure and Utilities, Archaeology, Ecology, Long Term Responsibilities, Sustainability Appraisal, Major Development, Local Interim Planning Statement, Construction and Sustainable Future Use. • We remind the Parish Council that in their Public Notice issued in July 2014 they strongly opposed any proposals for any development on this key site in the South Downs National Park. • We also wish to remind the Parish Council that section 15.48 of the Bramshott & Liphook Parish Plan rejected the erection of buildings or any change to the landscape settings on the Bohunt Manor frontage land. • We support the Parish Council on this stance. • The proposal to discharge both surface water and sewage into the small one metre wide stream next to The Links Tavern causes us great concern. Although the discharge will be subjected to treatment by a living water treatment system this could be compromised in periods of high rainwater and release of hydro carbons & grease from the dwellings entering the attenuation tanks. This will risk pollution of the stream which flows through the Bohunt Manor and Foley Manor lakes and then into the River Wey. The Environment Agency have objected to this proposal because of risks to the environment. • We oppose the intrusion into the countryside and the subsequent effect on the landscape and ecology. The RSPB have also objected to the proposal for these reasons • The management of funding and maintenance of the sewage system including the swales, landscaping, café, shop, visitors’ centre, nature reserve and allotments is apparently to be undertaken by a management company. We doubt if the residents and the Parish Council will be happy to underwrite these facilities as a whole or in part with such a long term financial & management commitment. • There will be a substantial increase in long term traffic - all passing through the square when travelling to the A3, Bordon and Haslemere exacerbating the current problems. • Interestingly a number of these points of concern are the same as expressed by EHDC when they recently refused the planning application for further housing on the Lowsley Farm site. E.g. sewage, RSPB objections, traffic, safety at the roundabout, intrusion into the countryside and the cumulative effect of these concerns. • Due to problems on NHS funding the Medical Centre is unlikely to be constructed. It is stated in the Heads of Terms that “if the option is not exercised, then the landowner would be able to pursue other potential uses of the building, subject to obtaining planning permission.” presumably this would mean another apartment block!! • The RSPB, the South Downs Society, Bramshott & Liphook Preservation Society, the CPRE, the Hampshire & IOW Wildlife Trust and the Environment Agency have all lodged objections to the proposals to develop the Bohunt Manor estate. The Hampshire County Council archaeology department and the Hampshire County Council ecology team have raised concerns. The reasons for their objections complement our own submitted comments. • We fully support the need for a new football pitch and pavilion for the Liphook United Football Club. In anticipation of the planning application being refused we have suggested an alternative means of access which is via the Silent Garden site. Whilst we accept that this would need to be negotiated with the Silent Garden developer [Cove Construction] it would be an equitable solution to the problem of access. Note: on the 18th September 2013 GVI Ltd sent an email to the football club promising the transfer of land to the club once the planning permission for the pavilion was granted. this was granted on 4th March 2014, but it seems the transfer of the land did not take place as the Heads of Terms within the planning application states that under clause 11.3 “the football pitches will be transferred for nil consideration to Liphook United Football Club at such time as road and service infrastructure has been provided up to the boundary” It was reported in Liphook herald article that 350 comments were received by the SDNP supporting the planning application; this is untrue. Councillor Maroney reported at the meeting that more parishioners had sent in written objections than supported the application. This is borne out by our own detailed analysis of the comments sent to the SDNP that there have been 109 parishioners objecting and 58 parishioners supporting the application. We hope that you will note our reasons for concern which have highlighted the very real problems to our village in respect of traffic, pollution, sewage and long term funding of the facilities being ‘offered’ by the developers.

Re: Bohunt Manor - PC meeting - A. Ryan (20th Feb 2015 - 10:49:42) For anyone that would like to view the true amount of comments for and against you can go to : planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk Search reference : SDNP/14/06426/OUT What you will see there speaks volumes. The support for this development is unequivocal. Perhaps the reason it was not reported was that the SOS Bohunt representative was allowed to speak for the greatest amount of time while the people who were supporting were basically told to sit down....., people who are long standing members of the public.. As I am no reporter I can say that the Parish Council were utterly biased in their overwhelming support that this development was rejected. As of 16th February Objections: 122 + 33 duplicates = 31% Support: 272 + 16 duplicates = 69% Neutral: 2 Total public comments excluding multiple submissions = 396 I believe there have been some more since then, most being supports.

Re: Bohunt Manor - PC meeting - Peter Richardson (20th Feb 2015 - 11:10:25) On the SDNP web site there are 272 supporting and 120 against. Both For and Against have a sprinkling of people from outside Liphook. Also read what the Princes Trust says. There are two sides to any argument and remember the Parish Council can only comment. The decision rests with the SDNP and they are surprised by the level of support.

Re: Bohunt Manor - PC meeting - liz (20th Feb 2015 - 11:26:36) It seems the Action Group has separated out those comments from within the Parish, which give a better reflection of local views, rather than external vested interests.

Re: Bohunt Manor - PC meeting - stacey (20th Feb 2015 - 12:12:13) It was my recollection that 4 speakers were allowed to speak about bohunt, 2 against, Mr MIller and Mr Osborne, and two in favour, Mr Ellis and Mrs Ellis. As the previous poster has confirmed, the Parish Council are only consultees in the process. I do not think that the issues will be decided on how many letters or not get sent in, if they contain pertinent planning issues then they will hold some credibility. The ones from outside the parish probably less weight. The Princes Trust has two sides to it! One is the charity work, and one is now a planning consultancy business, and has nothing to do with the charitable side of things, and GVI paid the consultancy side of the Princes Trust to look at the feasibility plans I think. If you look at the Website you will see the separation. The WWF is a charity too, benefiting if houses get built.

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