Micheldever Station
O’Flynn Group is proposing a fresh approach for a new community on land around Micheldever Station.
The Local Plan: There is another way
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A New Local Plan
There is a housing crisis in England, and Winchester is no exception. Young people face acute housing affordability problems; prices are more than 12 times local earnings and many households are in-need of affordable housing. There is also a climate emergency, with Winchester City Council aiming to achieve a carbon neutral district by 2030.
Winchester’s Local Plan was adopted in 2013 and planning rules require they are reviewed every five years. The City Council is updating the vision for its area. In doing so, it will need to meet the development needs that exist in the area over the next 15-20 years. These have increased since the previous Local Plan was put in place, whilst Winchester may also be asked to help meet further unmet needs from surrounding local authorities, including those from constrained South Hampshire areas. Whatever is ultimately concluded, allocating further land for new homes and services will be necessary and will need to be done in a way which embeds low and zero carbon principles into the District’s growth, including around transport.
Development at Micheldever Station has been looked at before, and alternative sites have been preferred for development. But the range of suitable sites in the District is reducing whilst the number of new homes Government requires Winchester to plan for is increasing. In producing its Local Plan, the Council will need to consider options for how it proposes to meet additional future need for homes. This could involve seeing if more housing can be built on the edge of Winchester City, in addition to those currently being built at Kings Barton; it could mean asking communities in towns and villages across the District to each accept more development.
But Government’s national planning policy recognises the supply of new homes can often best be achieved through larger-scale developments. It specifically asks Councils preparing Plans to identify suitable locations for new settlements, provided they are well located, well designed and supported by necessary infrastructure and facilities. In making choices, the Council must work with communities across the District.
Now is the right time for to consider a fresh new vision at Micheldever Station.
O’Flynn Group is proposing a proposing a fresh approach to delivering a new Hampshire town on land around Micheldever Station.
The land has been put forward to Winchester City Council through its new Local Plan process. A garden town at Micheldever Station provides an opportunity to meet long term development needs in the District via a carefully planned and infrastructure-led approach, with a focus on walking and cycling, and capitalising on the unique potential of the railway station.
This website provides information about our proposals and how you can contact the team.
A 15-minute neighbourhood centred on a train station
A mixed-use place with local facilities and sustainable transport options, encouraging less car use per dwelling than conventional smaller schemes. Critical to achieving carbon neutrality because transport is Winchester’s primary contributor to carbon emissions.
About Us
O’Flynn Group is a development business focused on masterplanning, developing, building and managing high-quality properties and places in the UK and Ireland. O’Flynn Group has a track record for sensitive and well designed developments, using bespoke architecture.
O’Flynn Group is supported by a team of industry-leading professional consultants. Together we are committed to working with the Council and local people to realise a shared vision for a new Hampshire town.
Planning & Economics
Engagement
Architecture and Masterplanning
Transportation, Service and Utilities
Public Transport
Ecology
Landscape
The Location
Micheldever Station is almost equidistant between Winchester, Basingstoke and Andover. It is strategically located close to the M3, A303 and on the London-Southampton mainline.
The proposed location comprises some 540 hectares of land around the existing train station at Micheldever, within the wider 1,700 hectare Sutton Scotney Estate. Compared with other parts of the District, the land around Micheldever Station is relatively unconstrained. It is not within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and any development would retain the broad belt of open landscape in middle Hampshire.
A landscape buffer around the area of development – retained as farmland and safeguarded via a legal covenant – would ensure separation from West Stratton, Micheldever, Stoke Charity, Hunton, Wonston and Sutton Scotney.
The location is well positioned to provide a sustainable and zero carbon new community, which complements the growth of Winchester City, relieve development pressure on other parts of the District, and be at the heart of a comprehensive approach to meeting housing and employment needs.
Our Initial Proposals
“A garden town where people and businesses are accessible and connected, an innovative place putting environment and sustainability at heart, a place of wellbeing living in the countryside in harmony with nature.”
Informed by the wide range of factors, including early discussions with local residents, we have developed an initial vision and landscape-led masterplan for what the location can deliver. You can view our initial proposals here and a report on the focus groups held with residents of the District here.
Our initial concept envisages a new Hampshire town, similar in size to Petersfield or Romsey, with a similar range of facilities. It would be fully supported by the infrastructure and services needed to make a successful and popular place to live.
Each neighbourhood will be anchored by a primary school and centre, a secondary school will serve the town and surrounding area, whilst a town centre near to the station will provide a focal point for services and activity. Spaces for business and working is integral to the settlement, helping to create a balanced place, with access to local employment, and helping to attract inward investment. Our primary objective is to provide a sustainable place which responds to the climate emergency, with a strong focus on walkability, and with a railway station at its heart, minimising the need to travel by private car.
Our thinking has been shaped and informed by what we have learned so far from feedback we have received. But we know there are lots of ways of doing things and different people will have their own ideas. Our approach will be to work with the community to translate our initial concept into a shared vision.
Alongside our initial proposals, we have thought about how the town will be delivered, with O’Flynn Group adopting a conscientious ‘master developer’ role. We explain what we mean by that and how it will work here, but in summary we’ll hold a long-term stake, involve people, invest in seeing success and champion high quality, beautiful development.
What Happens Next?
We are promoting Micheldever Station for consideration through the City Council’s new Local Plan. A submission for the site was made to the Council’s Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) providing factual information about the land and our ideas for how it might be developed. The Council’s SHELAA has been published, and considers the location ‘suitable, available, and achievable’ meaning it is an option for the Council to consider through the Plan.
The Council also received submissions from landowners and developers promoting large-scale sites in other parts of the District, including to further extend the urban area of Winchester, and also to build on greenfield land on the edge of urban south Hampshire that CPRE propose should be made Green Belt.
The City Council is required to consult on its Local Plan, and local people will be given the opportunity to make comments on the options for growth and opportunities that exist across the District, including Micheldever Station. We think there is a compelling case for Micheldever Station being formally allocated for development within the Local Plan.
O’Flynn Group has no intention of submitting a planning application in advance of the Local Plan. Government places great importance on a Local Plan-led system and it is for the Council to make key decisions about the future of its area.
This website provides some information on our current vision for the site. We will continue to engage with the Council as its ideas for its Local Plan take shape over coming months, but also welcome the views of local people.
Contact Us
This website has been created to show you our initial ideas for Micheldever Station and illustrate some of the benefits we believe it could bring. If you wish to contact the team working on the proposals please email: nick.sutcliffe@becg.com
It is important to note that any comments you might make will not preclude you from making future comments on consultation on the Winchester Local Plan process should you wish to do so.