Controversial warehouse plan near Basingstoke to be re-considered
A parish council has raised a legal objection
A controversial plan to build a warehouse near junction 7 of the M3 is to be re-considered by planning councillors in Basingstoke.
The warehouse - which could create dozens of new jobs - is planned for a site near to where a new hospital for the region could be built.
Now a nearby parish council has raised a legal objection about the way the planning application was approved in the first place.
Background
In April, the committee voted to approve the application but planning permission has not been granted as the government’s Planning Case Work Unit is still considering a request to the Secretary of State to call-in the application. While this is under consideration a decision notice cannot be issued.
However, Dummer Parish Council has written to the borough council challenging the legality of the decision, based on what it considers to be an error in the information given to the committee about how visible the development would be from the village.
The borough council’s Chief Executive Russell O’Keefe said:
“It is important that we are robust and transparent in our decision making. The council has carefully considered Dummer Parish Council’s letter challenging the decision on the application and taken legal advice. We have decided that the best way forward is to take the application back to the Development Control Committee. This is possible as a way of resolving this, as the decision notice has not yet been issued owing to the Secretary of State considering a call-in request.”
This means that, unless the council receives notification from the Secretary of State that he is to determine the planning application, it will be re-determined by the Development Control Committee meeting later this year. The date of the committee will be announced once it has been set.
The Secretary of State, Dummer Parish Council and the applicant have all been informed of the decision.