The borough council has spent over £200,000 on failed planning appeals.

As previously reported by The Gazette, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has been rated among the worst authorities in the UK for having major planning decisions overturned.

From April 2020 to March 2022, 49 major applications were made to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, with 12.2 per cent, or seven of these applications later overturned on appeal in favour of developers.

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Of the seven applications later overturned on appeal in favour of developers, six refused by elected councillors were originally recommended for approval by planning officers.

It has now been revealed that just under £214,000 was spent on appeals during this time. Over £60,000 of this was spent on two failed appeals on the Camrose Football Club ground on Winchester Road, with another £95,000 spent on a failed appeal to building on land east of Station Road in Oakley.

The remaining external costs were associated to a 27 proposed dwellings at Ashford Hill, erection of 82 dwellings in Overton, and 57 dwellings at a proposed site in Sherfield on Loddon.

A spokesperson for Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council said: "The council received a letter from The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities about the number of major planning application decisions taken between April 2020 and March 2022 that were then overturned on appeal.

"With 49 major decisions made during that time, seven were overturned meaning that we were only three over the target. Two were appeals over the Camrose football ground applications.

"Major applications come to committee with recommendations from planning officers, then councillors listen to the information and representations and take a view as to whether the application is acceptable on planning grounds.

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"The committee is making decisions that are often finely balanced planning judgements and are rarely clear cut.  This is indicated by the fact that costs were not awarded against us in majority of the appeals involved.

"We have sent a response that has explained the context and outlined the steps that we have taken already to improve performance. We await DLUHC’s response on any next steps."

Former Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council leader, Cllr Simon Minas-Bound, said: "I wholeheartedly support the council's approach to defending the decisions made, many of which stem from the most pressing concerns and objections raised by our residents.

"Our commitment to democratic decision-making is unwavering, and when necessary, we steadfastly defend these decisions through planning appeals, often with the wholehearted support of local residents and community groups.

"During this period, the Development Control Committee made robust refusals on highly contentious applications, such as the warehousing project at junction 7 and the housing development on the Camrose Stadium site. Defending these decisions and preserving the democratic process is an integral part of meeting our residents' expectations of our council.

"It should come as no surprise to our residents that defending these development cases can entail significant costs. Representation on behalf of the council means legal experts and often specialists in various technical fields.

"When we evaluate our performance in relation to the overall number of appeals, it's evident that we have achieved some noteworthy successes in both receiving cost awards for the council and successfully defending the council when cost applications are raised.

"Our track record underscores the fact that we consistently make well-informed decisions and have achieved success through the vigorous defense of those decisions."