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The Barton Farm site has a long planning history; some 8 years ago it was recognised as a reserve housing site by Winchester City Council.
In January 2009 the Council’s Cabinet LDF
(Local Development Framework) Committee agreed that Barton Farm should be the primary housing allocation in Winchester in its Core Strategy.
Barton Farm is a greenfield site that lies north of Winchester predominately in Headbourne Worthy.
It is bounded in the east by the main Winchester to London railway line, to the north by Well House Lane, to the west by B3420 Andover Road and Abbots Barton lies to the south.
It covers about 87 hectares (215acres) and it is proposed that it could accommodate approximately 2,000 new dwellings, employment, retail, community and education facilities together with open spaces.
CALA Homes now own the site and previously submitted plans to build up to 2000 homes in 2004 resulting in a Public Enquiry.
Since then the South East Plan, Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) has evolved together with the Winchester City Council’s current (2009) Local Development Framework (LDF) process.
CALA Homes are now in the process of carrying out pre consultations with Winchester City Council, local residents and other key groups on their proposed new master plan for the development.
The consultations are about what sort of development it should be, rather than whether and when the site should be released for housing.
Final decisions on the development of this site will be made at a later stage through the normal planning process.
As part of this consultation two public exhibitions were held in April 2009 along with workshops and meetings with key groups.
More information and the development layout plan can be found on the CALA Homes project website where you can also make comments about the proposals.
The Save Barton Farm Group is the largest community group in Winchester with over 5,000 signed-up supporters.
It is a voluntary body run by a small, active committee who have undertaken the significant task of establishing formal and professional opposition to the planned development.
It has an established newsletter and is actively engaged in opposing the development through petitions, public meetings and demonstrations.
More information is available from their website Save Barton Farm Group.
November 2009
Cala Homes submit outline planning application to Winchester City Council for the development of approx 93 hectares of land at Barton Farm, to provide approximately 2000 homes. To view the application and make your comments, which close on 14 January 2010 click 09/02412/OUT.
April 2009
Winchester City Council approves Barton Farm to be included for housing in the long term, in their draft Core Strategy- Preferred Option.
This document is the part of the Local Development Framework that sets out the broad aims and objectives for sustainable development in the Winchester District.
Policy WT2 Strategic Housing - Barton Farm, on page 39 of the document, defines the criteria for any future development at Barton Farm. Map of Strategic Housing Allocation (PDF 100Kb)
The draft Preferred Option sets out for the first time the complete Core Strategy, including the detailed wording of policies and proposals, and the allocation of key sites across the District for development over the next twenty years.
It includes the government housing requirements under its South East Plan (Regional Spatial Strategy), in which some 6000 new homes are to be built in the Winchester area covering the period from 2006 to 2026.
Feb 2009
In the last few months Barton Farm has come back into the news.
Here Cllr Keith Wood Winchester City Council Member for Headbourne Worthy – Sparsholt Ward explains the current situation.
“Barton Farm is back on the agenda though in truth it has been there since the Council first agreed it as a Reserve Site for housing some 8 years ago.
It's an issue now because the Government requires the Council to identify land for 2000 houses as part of the new Winchester Local Plan.
It has been suggested that we ignore this "advice" but if we do so, the Government will determine regardless what is built where, which could lead to a free for all.
We take the view that it is better to try to control our future rather than hand it over to others who may have less concern for Winchester.
Trouble is, staying as we are is not an option. We are therefore proposing that brown field sites are used first and that any major scheme is not begun until it is clearly required.
Unless the Government change their rules; it’s unlikely that any major Greenfield building will be required before 2015.
Meanwhile we will continue to press this and any future Government to alter their housing targets to a level Winchester can reasonably absorb, without wholesale development in the countryside”
Cllr Keith Wood
Cabinet Member – Winchester City Council
Portfolio: Planning and Access |
