Housing
St Valentine’s close, Winchester
Housing should be a concern for all of us. Across the country, the way in which housing is being delivered is not working. There is a whole swathe of our society that is unable to afford a home, and years of government policies have failed to solve this major issue. We are in danger of unbalancing and alienating a good percentage of our population.
Housing development is a major user of land. In Winchester, development of the western suburbs and Barton Farm has expanded the City, extended travel distances and made the City less compact. For some time now the Trust has been concerned at the way in which new large-scale housing development is being approached and delivered by developers around Winchester. If it is demonstrated that there is a legitimate need for more housing development and there is a desire to stop the City from spreading further out into agricultural land, then there is a case for new housing to be built at higher densities and to be more affordable.
Parkwood, Winchester
It should be recognised that excellent design and layout must be part of the deal to obtain planning permission for higher densities. The Trust believes that planners, designers and developers should be producing housing developments that exhibit a sense of place and belonging, of which all can be proud.