Plans for 119 new homes approved despite local concerns

Fareham Borough Council’s planning committee approved the application for 119 homes on land south of Funtley Road, Funtley, despite 21 letters of objection including The Fareham Society and Hampshire Swifts.

Members approved the appearance, landscaping, open spaces and gardens, layout and scale of the 119 homes, with the scheme already having outline planning which also dealt with the access from Funtley Road.

Reside Developments Ltd has planning permission for up to 125 homes, approved by the Planning Inspector on appeal. There are a further six self and custom-built plots and a separate space for a community building to be approved at a later stage.

The 21 objections included concerns over pollution, destruction of habitat and impact on wildlife, impact on the bus route, general drainage concerns and flooding of Funtley Road, invasive Japanese Knotweed issues on the site, concerns about the proposed palette of materials and the lack of solar panels.

The 119 homes submitted as part of the reserved matters application are a mixture of 1.5-storey and two-storey homes in a landscaped environment, with drainage swales and attenuation ponds that capture rainwater during the winter months. The site is situated north of a country park where Southern boundary swales are designed to manage any water run off from the park.

The Planning Inspector ordered a surface water drainage strategy to be made before the application could be approved.

The site is divided into several blocks of development, made up of a mix of one-bed flats and houses, and two-bed, three-bed and four-bed houses, including detached, semi-detached and terraced, creating a mixture of residential housing.

Councillor Pamela Bryant (Con, Uplands and Funtley), as an objector on behalf of several residents, said: “I am here over concerns of surface water, drainage and flooding in this area for as long as I can remember.”

She said there were fears over foul water and “the swales and ponds identified will not be sufficient especially when the ground can take no more water and there is still heavy rainfall coming”.

She added that residents in Roebuck Avenue are living with ongoing sewer issues and cannot open their windows or enjoy their gardens because of foul smells from Fallow Close which is only a 21-home development.

Councillor Ian Bastable (Con, Park Gate) asked the council officers to write to the regulator to ensure Southern Water was fulfilling its statutory duties. He said Cllr Bryant brought the issue up whenever planning issues were raised in the area so it was ‘clearly not getting any better’.

Councillor Steve Dugan (Con, Hill Head) expressed his frustration at Southern Water who he would prefer to be geared up to deal with the capacity rather than being forced. He said: “I know nothing can change because as a private company, they are not answerable to anybody.”

The palette of materials and finishes includes bricked, timber-clad and rendered elevations, with bricked detail included in many facades. Featured are pitched gabled roofs with flat-roofed dormers, bay windows and porches. Cllr Bastable said although he did not like the design detail of the fascia colour and brick colour with the lack of solar panels, there was a lot he liked about the application including the distribution of affordable housing through the site.

The reserved matters details for the self and custom build homes will be submitted separately once the serviced plots are provided and sold to individuals on the self and custom build list.

A community building for the site will be decided on at a later date under a separate reserved matters application.

Despite all the objections, the application was approved by council members one against and seven in favour. The objections to design were subjective, the council officer said it was not a good enough reason to refuse planning. The drainage issues are the responsibility of Southern Water to sort as it is obliged to and has said it will.