NFDC planning meeting set to decide major schemes at Everton Road in Hordle and Brockhills Lane in New Milton

TWO major schemes paving the way for 260 houses to be built on sites in Hordle and New Milton look set to get the go-ahead from New Forest District Council’s planning committee amid hundreds of objections.

Applications to develop land east of Brockhills Lane in New Milton with 164 homes and land east of Everton Road in Hordle with 97 dwellings will go for debate on Wednesday.

Committee reports have advised approval in principle for both, subject to negotiations and a raft of conditions including contributions for school places, public open space and highways

Both are strategic housing sites allocated in NFDC’s Local Plan which sets out where major housing developments can take place outside the national park until 2036.

The proposals are highly controversial, however, with New Milton Town Council strongly objecting to the Brockhills Lane scheme and Hordle Parish Council recommending refusal of the Everton Road application.

The committee report said the site of the Brockhills Lane plan, which has been reduced from 169 to 164 homes, is no longer greenbelt because it has been allocated for housing.

It argued the proposals would create a “safe, vibrant and healthy new community” while “protecting and enhancing the natural environment”.

Half of the units have been designated as "affordable".

Ben Arnold from Pennyfarthing Homes said he was “delighted” the scheme was being recommended for permission.

He said: “The majority of the Brockhills Lane site will provide significant areas of new public open space and children’s play areas, and less than half of this allocated site will be developed for housing – making it a low-density scheme.”

However, 344 people have written against the plans, raising concerns about the impact on wildlife, traffic on narrow roads, the potential for flooding, the site location, and the “poor quality” design.

Laura Travis, on behalf of the objectors, said: “This recommendation to grant permission shows a complete disregard for the Neighbourhood Plan and district council policies for affordable housing.

“In short, this development is too large, in the wrong location, with poor access which will inevitably cause chaos and disruption for a number of years for many of the local residents.”

Also slated for permission was the joint application by Bargate Homes and Vivid Homes for 97 dwellings on land east of Everton Road.

The committee report explains that initial proposals for 103 homes were amended in July 2022 to remove a proposed access to Silver Street and extend the area of public recreation space.

Hordle Parish Council has continued to strongly object to the plans, however, and claimed the increased traffic will have an impact on the rural roads.

Concerns were also raised about the management of the public recreation space, the impact on wildlife and the potential for flooding.

However, the planning committee report concluded that only habitats of “negligible” value will be lost as a result of the proposals and the majority of habitats of local importance will be “retained, protected and enhanced”.

Both schemes will be considered by NFDC’s planning committee at Appletree Court in Lyndhurst at 9am on Wednesday 14th December.