Community consultation to be held for the development of land surrounding BOSC
The Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company (WBRC) will hold a month-long community consultation, Friday 18 December to Monday 18 January, for the development of land surrounding the Bordon & Oakhanger Sports Club (BOSC) pavilion, giving the town’s residents the opportunity to view the plans and provide feedback.
Due to current social distancing and lockdown restrictions, the consultation will take place virtually and a digital platform will be available to view 24/7. For those who do not have access to the internet, or prefer to view a printed copy of the consultation documents, these can be obtained from Cafe Hogmoor at Hogmoor Inclosure and WBRC’s office at Building 51E, Bordon Enterprise Park off Budds Lane.
The consultation will provide information about the proposed development of around 350 new dwellings, including a retirement home, in the area surrounding BOSC, which are proposed to be brought forward in several phases over the next seven years.
The unique characteristics of the area, the inspiration for the new village and its key features, the design of the new homes and the naming of the village, will be showcased.
The housing will be of traditional Hampshire style, and all phases of the development will have designated amenity and leisure areas for residents.
Phase one covers an area north of Oakhanger Road for 110 dwellings and a reserved matters application is being prepared for submission in December 2020.
The Design Code for new housing around the BOSC Pavilion (including Phase 1) was submitted to East Hampshire District Council on 17 November 2020 and is being processed.
Subject to receiving planning consent, construction of the new dwellings is proposed to start after Easter 2021.
WBRC is taking all steps to address ecological mitigation, compensation and enhancement measures to off-set the potential environmental impact of the regeneration project. Over the past 18 months, WBRC has worked closely with tree and ecology specialists to ensure that the area surrounding BOSC has been surveyed to support the proposed felling of poorer quality trees.
All ecological works are regulated and approved by EHDC, HCC, Environment Agency and Natural England.
Commenting, James Child, Project Lead at WBRC, said:
“We are committed to delivering the 2,400 homes that the town requires to support its growth. Included in this delivery is housing on the site surrounding BOSC Pavilion, creating a new village at the heart of East Hampshire.
“The redevelopment of Prince Philip Park will provide an extensive network of green spaces for the benefit of people and wildlife, which will total over 100 hectares of new and improved space.
“Since the regeneration project commenced, we have secured approval through planning to plant c.11,000 new trees to support the development areas we are currently constructing, and ultimately we will plant more trees than we remove.
“We are advocating the right tree in the right place and will continue to work with the local community and other groups to guide us and influence the design process for the new and improved green space areas.”