Liphook residents are gearing up for another planning fight as Bloor Homes submits fresh plans for the controversial chicken farm site on Chiltley Lane. The latest application, lodged with East Hampshire District Council in January, seeks permission for 67 dwellings, echoing a 2023 proposal that never reached the committee stage.
The South East Liphook Residents Group (SELReG) has slammed the revised plans.
A spokesperson said: “It is the same old plan again, and Bloor has done little to address the concerns raised by villagers since 2023. Liphook is full. Our roads, sewers, drainage, traffic, schools, and doctors’ surgeries are already overstretched and cannot cope. To add further housing will only make matters worse. It should be refused.”
The initial 2023 application for up to 100 homes, also from Bloor Homes, met a storm of protest from villagers after a high-profile campaign. It also faced strong opposition from Bramshott and Liphook Parish Council, citing concerns over increased traffic in The Square’s Conservation Area, pedestrian safety on Midhurst Road, and potential flooding from an inadequate sewer system.
Since the 2023 application, issues with ongoing sewage outflows have worsened. Thames Water has confirmed the system is insufficient but has no plans to upgrade it. SELReG fears that the upgrade, which would require private funding from the developers, will not meet the necessary standard.
“We have no confidence that this will be done, nor to a sufficient standard,” says SELReG. “Local residents who already endure the misery of raw sewage in the road – and worse – will continue to suffer. Furthermore, given the distance from the village centre, this will be a ‘car-led’ development, leading to further traffic problems in an already congested village.”
SELReG claims that none of these issues have been addressed by the latest application, and that the reduction in the number of homes does not provide a solution.
Residents also point out that the planning application submitted in May 2024 for the provision of a Site of Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) has yet to be approved, and the suggested Iron Hill site within the South Downs National Park has been deemed unsuitable.
But one supporter of the application has said: “It is a balanced proposal that will benefit the village and all the residents. Too many individuals want the village to stagnate. Fresh and expanding housing helps keep the population vibrant. The village has to progress, standards change, and new ideas are welcome.”
Bloor Homes said the development will help meet local housing needs and include biodiversity enhancement and off-site SANG contributions.
Residents may find details of the Bloor submission on the EHDC Planning Portal at www.easthants.gov.uk, quoting reference number 22789/007. The closing date for comments has been set as February 22.
SELReG (formerly the Chiltley Farm Action Group) represents more than 220 local residents and households who are fundamentally against substantial developments that will be detrimental to the interests of Liphook as a whole.
Further details of SELReG can be found at [email protected]