Plans to build 300 homes south of Newbury in Bishops Green withdrawn by Catesby Estates

Controversial plans to build 300 homes just south of Newbury in Bishops Green have been withdrawn.

Catesby Estates withdrew its proposal to build the large residential development on land to the east of Ecchinswell Road in the village on Monday, November 13.

The 300-home plans received widespread backlash from the Bishops Green community when they were first submitted two years ago, with the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s planning portal accruing 154 objection letters and only seven letters of support.

Reacting to the news, Ecchinswell, Sydmonton and Bishops Green Parish Council chair Marian Dain said: “We don’t know why they’ve withdrawn it but we can only assume it was in response to the fact that we have, as a parish, now got a neighbourhood plan in place.

“We are very pleased with all the campaigning various people did.

“It’s good news for the community and we think it shows that our neighbourhood plan is working.”

Tony Forward is a Bishops Green resident who has been campaigning to reduce the number of houses built in his village, believing that if more homes are approved, a strain will be placed on infrastructure in West Berkshire and not on Basingstoke and Deane’s services.

He said: “The thing that is really sticking in my throat is that the other application for Woodside was approved while the recommendation for that was exactly the same as Catesby’s.”

Mr Forward referred to Hathor Property’s proposal to build 42 homes on land west of Ecchinswell Road – opposite the Catesby proposed site – which was approved by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council in March.

“You just wonder what’s going on,” he said.

“It’s just absolutely bonkers to actually contemplate a one-way road serving that many houses. It will be bad enough with the 42.”

Despite the withdrawal, Mr Forward fears that Catesby will return with another planning application for the site.

He said: “It doesn’t mean to say it’s gone away.

“Once developers have got their teeth into a site, they hang on there like a Rottweiler.”

Mrs Dain was more hopeful, stating that she believed the parish’s neighbourhood plan would prevent the developer from submitting another application.

She said: “I think while our neighbourhood plan is in place, it doesn’t make any sense for them to come back, but if Basingstoke and Deane don’t get there five-year housing land supply in place, they could come back.”