Ringwood residents raise concerns about homes plans for Moortown Road

Developers, Crest Nicholson, say the housing plans for green belt land at Moortown Road in Ringwood, would be a “high quality residential-led development”.

But there are fears from some residents about the impact it will have on the town and surrounding area.

In an online meeting hosted by Crest Nicholson last Thursday (February 17), residents raised concerns about the affordability of the housing for local residents, with other issues including the proposals for the junction on Moortown Lane and Christchurch Road.

A spokesperson for Crest Nicholson, Kate Little said: "In terms of affordable the meaning that we have given in our planning submission has been taken from local and national policy, so we've used the definitions and are adhering to requirements set by the New Forest.

"The scheme overall will be 50 per cent affordable and of that there will be a mix of rented and affordable ownership."

On the issued of the junction, a representative acknowledged the new development would make the traffic situation "worse".

"We have looked at a range of improvement schemes for that location including a mini roundabout scheme which was our preferred option but we weren't able to agree the design of that with Hampshire County Council, who are the highway authority, so we have ultimately designed a widening scheme where the mouth of the junction is widened", they told the meeting.

“There will be a separate lane for left turning traffic from Moortown Lane and a separate lane for right turning traffic, so it’s much easier to turn left without being held up by the right turning people.

“It’s a priority junction, there’s no traffic lights, it’s just a widening scheme to create two exit lanes.

“Beyond traffic the application also includes a new pedestrian connection from the site including a new pavement running along the northern side of Moortown Lane to connect to Christchurch Road to provide a safe walking route from the southern part of the site to Christchurch Road.”

Existing residents also had concerns about their privacy and the potential for overlooking on the Western side of the development.

Steve Lloyd, speaking on behalf of the applicants said: “We are very mindful of that. We have restricted development in our proposals to two storeys in height along that Western edge, we have also provided an appropriate back to back distance to reduce any overlooking as much as possible. The parameters are designed in such a way to guard against any loss of amenity or privacy.”

If approved, the site would welcome a mix of mainly semi-detached and terraced dwellings with driveway parking, two children’s play areas and open green spaces.