A DEVELOPER has purchased of a piece of land in an effort to convince the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to reintroduce its proposal for the construction of 260 houses back into the draft local plan.

As previously reported, Bewley Homes had been actively pursuing an allocation for a plot in the draft local plan, and concurrently preparing an outline planning application for 260 homes on the Skates Lane property in Tadley.

The proposal faced significant opposition, with a campaign group being formed to voice concerns about the proposal.

In December, the Tadley and Pamber Rural Protection (TPRP) campaign group confirmed its success in compelling the council to withdraw the plans from the draft local plan following the discovery of a historic covenant.

READ MORE: Historic covenant blocks Skates Lane development

The covenant, originating in 1975 when Nicholas Denis Crawford Conran sold the land to John William Frank Munday, explicitly prohibited development and construction on 40 acres earmarked in Bewley's plans.

However, Bewley Homes has now revealed its acquisition of Skates Farm, a nearby piece of land close to Skates Lane, believing it to be a key factor linked to the covenant.

Head of strategic land at Bewley Homes, Andy Morris, said the covenant was established to prevent Mr Munday from constructing anything that might overlook Skates Farm, owned by Mr Conran.

With the purchase of Skates Farm in November, Mr Morris expressed confidence that Bewley has effectively nullified the scope of the covenant.

He is optimistic that the council will reconsider including Skates Lane in the draft local plan.

"The purpose of the original restriction is now redundant since it was entered into to protect the original vendor, Mr Conran, from new development overlooking his property, which has long since been converted to a commercial use not needing such protection," Mr Morris said.

He added that the title position was confirmed to the Basingstoke planning policy team in October 2023, with subsequent confirmation in November 2023, that Bewley Homes is now the sole beneficiary of the covenant.

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This, he argues, removes the obstacle that had led to the exclusion of the Skates Lane site from the draft local plan.

A cabinet meeting of the Basingstoke and Deane council on Tuesday, January 9, is expected to provide an update on the draft local plan. 

Bewley is planning to make representation at the cabinet meeting and ask the council to reinstate the Skates Lane site by citing its potential to meet housing requirements and address the housing deficit in Tadley.