20th June - PRESS RELEASE - PLEASE READ

Hamble Airfield should be deleted from the Hampshire Minerals Plan! 

An independent report commissioned by Hamble-RAGE and undertaken by the Winchester based experts Adams Hendry has concluded that Hamble Airfield should be deleted from the Hampshire Minerals Plan. Adams Hendry states that the Airfield has been erroneously allocated in the draft Minerals Plan and that the County Council cannot allocate the site without completing a series of required assessments. They also state that the Airfield site has significant transport, amenity, local economic and landscape impacts that have not been correctly assessed by Hampshire County Council.

The Minerals Plan will be discussed at the forthcoming County Council Cabinet meeting on 23rd June and the recommendation is for the Hamble Airfield to be included in the Plan along with Forest Lodge Farm in Hythe as the two sites in South Hampshire. Residents will be making the case to the County that the Airfield has been erroneously allocated and if they want to proceed on the 23rd with approving the Plan to the next stage, the Hamble Airfield must be removed from the Plan.

The Airfield is surrounded on three sides by residential properties, two schools, a health centre, recreational grounds and just 300m from the Hamble River with its internationally protected wildlife and habitats as well as housing over 3000 boats. Past changes to the surface structure through ploughing have resulted in flooding of neighbouring properties.

The impact of potential mineral extraction on the internationally protected ecology of the Hamble River has not been fully assessed. This must be done before such a site can be considered for inclusion in such a Plan. In addition, Hamble is already seeing the impacts of the proposals as businesses and potential newcomers to the village start to look at relocating on the basis of the potential for mineral working on the Airfield. The impacts could be severe for the village and the Adams Hendry report clearly states that the site in their opinion is unsuitable for mineral extraction.

The conclusion of the County Officer’s report going to the Cabinet on the 23rd is that the Plan should not compromise the Hampshire environment or quality of life of Hampshire Communities. Allocating the Airfield clearly compromises the Hamble environment and Hamble community and the Adams Hendry report supports this.

Download The Executive Summary and Full Report here.

PLEASE ACT NOW and send a hand written letter to object, which must arrive before Monday 23rd June (how ridiculous!) to;

Cllr Ken Thornber, Leader, Hampshire County Council,
The Castle,
Winchester, 
Hampshire, SO23 8ZB.

If you can't make the post (please hand write if you can), you can email him on ken.thornber@hants.gov.uk

PLEASE DO SOMETHING NOW - THIS IS A REALITY

You can read the Hampshire County Council report by clicking here or a summary produced by Hamblerage by going to Latest News