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Statement from the HVA to the Alton Herald

The Redbrown proposal for a large housing estate in the village of Holybourne has been refused by East Hampshire District Council planners due to concerns about the unknown nature of the groundwater flood risk. This decision was made following repeated concerns by local residents that the proposed development site would be on land with high groundwater and active seasonal springs and streams. Our local knowledge, including videos of previous groundwater flooding and the mapping of local springs, questioned the data and conclusions of both the hydrogeological assessment and the Flood Risk Assessment commissioned by the developers Redbrown.

These concerns were raised with both Hampshire County Council and EHDC and led them to commission an independent review of the original Hydrogeological survey, which highlighted significant errors in both the methodology of the original survey and its omission of other relevant local spring areas on the site. This means that the groundwater flood risk has not been properly assessed, rendering Redbrown’s current flood mitigation proposals insufficient and inadequate.

On this basis, Hampshire County Council’s local flood team were unable to approve Redbrown’s flood management proposals and so the outline planning permission was subsequently refused by East Hampshire’s planning officers

However, whilst welcoming this decision, the Holybourne Village Association continues to challenge East Hampshire’s responses to their other substantive objections, namely the disproportionate parking restrictions that would threaten village community life, the loss of a cherished and widely-used local green space (Holybourne Play Park), the damage to Holybourne’s Conservation Area and the negative visual impact on the exceptional Hampshire Downs landscape.

At this time, we believe Redbrown has not publicly responded to the refusal but should they do so, the HVA will respond as required.