Delayed Fawley Waterside planning agreement compared to Charles Dickens novel Bleak House

COMPLETING the legal agreement for the Fawley Waterside development was compared to a Charles Dickens novel due to the length of time it is taking.

The outline proposal for 1,380 homes on the former power station site gained approval from New Forest District Council in principal in mid-2020.

But the planning committee delegated the final decision to chief planning officer Claire Upton-Brown, subject to a Section 106 legal agreement being made.

At the latest full council meeting, Liberal Democrat Cllr Mark Clark questioned why it remained "awaiting decision" – comparing it to the plot of Bleak House in which a battle over an inheritance drags on for so long that all the money goes to the lawyers.

Cllr Diane Andrews, the Conservative cabinet member for planning, regeneration and infrastructure, replied that the Fawley Waterside situation was "nothing like" that.

The delays were because it involved a complex set of negotiations between NFDC, developer Fawley Waterside Ltd, Hampshire County Council and the national park authority, she said.

"Significant work is going on to complete the agreement as soon as possible," Cllr Andrews added, suggesting that may come this summer and pledging members would get a briefing on it.