Locals in the quaint little villages of Knowle and Wickham in Hampshire are up in arms over a giant £308million eco-town being constructed between them, claiming the gorgeous rural landscape is being scarred for homes that nobody wants.
The Welborne Garden Village development will deliver 6000 homes in 1000 acres of land in the middle of Knowle and Wickham.
The plan has been in the works for nearly 20 years, and in 2021 got the go-ahead. It has being driven by the Buckland Group, chaired by local man Mark Thistlethwayte, 59.
Mr Thistlethwayte even revealed to the Telegraph that he was originally opposed to development on the rural site. He said: “I was a Nimby. When this was announced some 18 years ago, I was absolutely opposed to it. But we’ve reduced the amount of houses – it’s come down from 10,000 to 6,000 – and we’ve vastly expanded the infrastructure and the green spaces, and everything else.
“I faced the choice of, do I try to object and ultimately fail, or do I get involved and make it the best I can?”
Now the diggers have arrived and the work is underway, residents have realised that the project “can’t be stopped” and that they’ll be living next to a building site for decades.
Mr Thistlethwayte has said that his “vision” is for “good architecture” and “thoughtful landscaping” in the new town. The homes will be some of Britain’s most eco-friendly when they’re finished, powered by a solar farm and a state of the art underground heating grid that uses heat pumps and a nearby reservoir.
However, locals have complained that since the building work has begun, trees have been felled and traffic congestion has sprung up.
Loraine Rappe, who chairs the Knowle Residents’ Association told MailOnline that she has frequently objected to the Welborne development.
She told the publication: “It is definitely going ahead, there’s no stopping it. All we are saying is that it is a shame that they have started destroying what was already there, unnecessarily.”
Ms Rappe claimed that developers are not keeping to their word about not disturbing green space. She said: “The [local] view is that they’re saying one thing but in fact, doing something else.
“The particular annoyance is the destruction of all the shrubs and trees. People have been referring to the whole development as Hellborne.”
In a statement to the Mail, Fiona Gray, Director of Buckland Development, said: “We are working with a local, long established tree specialist as well as an eminent landscape architect to create acres of green space, beautiful parks and woodlands for all – accessible by walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders.
“We recognise that the removal of the current verge vegetation on Knowle Road is difficult to see for some residents, but this is unavoidable for the vital new services and alternative routes from Knowle to the A32.”
