Greenfield homes row goes on

The plans are still to go before a full public inquiry

A controversial plan to build 3,000 new homes on a greenfield site on the edge of a Hampshire town looks set to be given the go-ahead.

Members of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's cabinet were expected to approve the build on Manydown farm at a meeting on Tuesday night.

The final go-ahead still has to be given by a meeting of the full council and later at a full planning inquiry.

The proposed development, on a site owned by the council itself, has angered some local residents.

Protesters say there are not enough basic services, such as shops and schools, to support such an ambitious plan.

Mr Reid says the council is acting as "judge and jury"

They are also concerned that the council might be looking to profit from its own plan.

Stephen Reid, of the Save Manydown Campaign, said: "The council bought the interest in the land back in 1995 and stands to make hundreds of millions of pounds profit if it grants itself planning permission.

"The council has put itself in the position of being the judge and the jury."

But leader Councillor Rob Donnelly denied that the council's dual role as both landowner and planning authority was anything to be concerned about.

Councillor Donnelly has defended the plans

He said: "Any progressive local authority is going to look to the future and accumulate land in order to accommodate its future growth.

"The notion that we are doing it to make money seems a bit daft to me.

"We are doing a plan from 2001 to 2016. If we wanted the money we would have brought it forward much sooner than 2011."

He also defended the idea of pushing ahead with one single build as opposed to placing homes in smaller groups across the borough.

He said: "If we do lots of little, small things, we put at risk the nature of many of our rural towns and villages."

Manydown is the largest field in Hampshire and records of its existence date back to the Domesday Book.