Scaled down plans have been submitted for a storage and distribution scheme near Basingstoke following years of abortive attempts to build.
Newlands Developments has submitted proposals for eight buildings in six plots totalling 85,000 sq m at Oakdown Farm in Dummer, close to J7 of the M3.
Industrial development on the site was first proposed for the Local Plan 10 years ago and, since 2020, Newlands has been going through the planning process with its Basingstoke Gateway scheme.
The developer’s first proposal for outline permission, submitted in 2020 for 271,000 sq m of space, was refused by Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council (B&DBC) in April 2021.
However, an application for full planning permission had also been submitted in parallel with the outline application – and it was approved.
But that plan was blocked by a legal challenge from Dummer Parish Council and sent back to B&DBC who subsequently refused it.
A new application for around 111,000 sq m of space, which named Lidl as occupier of Plot 1, was submitted in February 2022 but was also refused.
Newlands went to appeal but lost in December 2022.
Now the new scheme, on a slightly smaller footprint of the 54-hectare site, aims to overcome the reasons for Newlands’ defeat on appeal.
As well as the smaller scale of buildings and smaller footprint, the new proposal includes reduced heights, increased planting of hedgerows and trees and aims for BREEAM Outstanding rather than Excellent.
There is also a greater proportion of EV chargers in the available parking spaces in the new plan and a higher proportion of solar panels on the available roof spaces.
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