Broken promise a bridge too far for Lymington Shores developer as council 'stands firm'

THE latest attempt by developer Redrow Homes to backtrack on its promise to build a railway footbridge in Lymington has been rejected by New Forest District Council’s planning chief with a warning the company could be made to add more affordable housing.

As part of the conditions which first allowed the 168-home Lymington Shores development, Redrow signed a legal agreement with NFDC for a £1m footbridge linking the former Webb’s chicken factory site to the railway station when a level of homes were occupied.

However, despite that figure being reached more than two years ago, the bridge – which has planning permission – has not been built. In January Redrow put forward a proposal to ditch that part of the agreement.

Now it has suggested an alternative package with a host of minor highway measures, such as dropped kerbs and installing tactile paving around Lymington.

But NFDC planning chief Claire Upton-Brown has indicated in her response that the authority will stand firm.

She warned that NFDC could even ask Redrow to incorporate more lower-priced homes, explaining that if the newly proposed package had been agreed when the application was first made in 2011, half of the 168-home development would have had to be affordable properties.

In her letter she stressed the bridge was regarded by NFDC as “integral” and the alternative package of measures “likely to cost considerably less”.

A NFDC spokesperson added: “Redrow are not permitted by law to occupy any more than 125 open-market dwellings on the site without providing the footbridge, which is considered by the council to be a fundamental and necessary part of the development.”

Ian Sneddon, managing director at Redrow Southern Counties, responded by repeating a previous company statement which emphasised how for the past six years it had been “trying to get the green light” for the footbridge but had been unable to reach an agreement with partners.

He claimed the alternative package of traffic measures was worth “well in excess of £1m” and said the company remained “committed to reaching a solution”.

The planned structure would be 34.5 metres long and 2.4 metres wide, just north of the Lymington Town station building. It would be open 24 hours a day and comprise a steel frame with glass canopies and brick-clad lift tower.

Originally the conditions stipulated the bridge had to be built once 75 homes were constructed. But that figure was later revised to 125 – which NFDC revealed was reached in mid-2018.

Currently 17 open-market homes stand empty.

Redrow was criticised by civic group the Lymington Society whose deputy chairman, Don Mackenzie, called its stance “extremely disappointing”.

“As the NFDC have set out in their response to the company, to allow a developer to more or less complete a development and then walk away from a legally binding agreement and agreed conditions would drive a coach and horses through the planning process and this would mean that a very dangerous precedent had been set,” he said.

He pointed out Redrow had also promised a range of other community facilities such as a café, restaurant, gallery, and retail and starter units.