A PROPOSAL to build two “massive” warehouses on a known flood plain south of Wilsom Farm in Alton has sparked a strong ‘Say No!’ protest, with 128 letters of public objection registered with East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) planners.

Campaigners gathered on Saturday to formulate a plan of action, since when a Facebook page has been set up on social media and 5,000 leaflets hand delivered to homes throughout Alton, urging local people to reject the proposed development.

Residents also put up posters on their own land, which they claim have been illegally removed.

The outline application by KMN (Alton) Ltd is to build two warehouses, one with a floorspace of 50,000 square feet and the other 25,000 square feet, on a 3.8-acre site on Wilsom Road (B3004), adjoining the neighbouring Delta, Omega and Riverside business parks and butting up to the A31 bypass embankment.

To be known as Alpha Park, access would be via a new entrance off Wilsom Road, to include the construction of a bridge over the Caker Stream, which runs through the site.

Currently used for grazing, the proposed development area is part of a larger eight-and-a-half acre parcel of land classified by the Environment Agency as flood zone three (high risk) immediately adjacent to the Caker Stream, which flows along the western edge of the site, and flood zone two (medium risk) elsewhere.

The intention is to level the site, to facilitate the development, and to introduce an eight-metre buffer along the stream bank to support retention of biodiversity and address maintenance and flooding issues.

But protestors believe it is a “ludicrous” proposal and a recipe for disaster.

The fear is that building on the Caker Stream flood plain will cause serious flooding to businesses downstream and flood homes upstream, as water backs up and run-off adds to the stream as it makes its way downhill to join the River Wey on Mill Lane.

There is a fear also that the development of warehousing on the site will lead to a round-the-clock operation with noise and light pollution, and heavy HGV traffic “thundering” through the town day and night, passing homes on Wilsom Road before clogging up the busy Spitalhatch junction and travelling along Mill Lane to join the A31.

Not least is the concern over wildlife present on the site as residents have viewed kingfishers, grey wagtails, little egrets, herons, slowworms, five bat species, and even otters.

Objectors on the EHDC website have reflected these concerns, urging the Environment Agency in particular to look closely at the proposals and, in particular, the potential for causing increased risk of flooding to business premises on the adjoining Omega Park and Riverside developments.

While supporting the need for a full Environment Agency report, Alton Town Council has objected on the size and bulk of the proposed units as “an undesirable and unacceptable form of overdevelopment” which, together with an increase in noise and light pollution and round-the-clock activity, would have an adverse impact on the character of the area.

They have expressed concern also over the lack of reference within the application to the Alton transport study, recently commissioned and published by Hampshire County Council and EHDC, and which makes reference to the current inadequacies of the junction at Spitalhatch junction which would be forced to cope with an increase in HGV movements associated with the Alpha Park warehouse operation.

Nor is there reference to proposed future development of a link to and from the B3004 to the A31 at this point, which would alleviate the need for vehicles accessing the Wilsom Road business parks and/or wishing to link up with the A325 at Sleaford, to drive through the town.

Campaigners point out that, having granted planning permission at the end of last year for a solar farm, off the B3004 on the Wordlham side of the A31 flyover, it would appear that neither developments would be required to contribute to such a project.

Identified as employment land in EHDC’s joint core strategy (local plan) but sitting outside the settlement boundary for Alton, the site is technically within the adjoining parish of Worldham whose parish council views this as “an entirely unsuitable development” for this semi-rural, partly-residential area.

Citing concerns over flooding, parish councillors point out that it is apparent “from the size and design of the units that their main purpose is for storage and distribution” which will push significant numbers of additional HGVs onto the already congested roads around Spitalhatch and the narrow B3004 through East Worldham.

A parish council spokesman added: “If this application is given the go ahead, the cumulative effect, with the recently approved solar farm, will be to create a one-mile long, largely continuous corridor of industrial and commercial development from Alton station into East Worldham. This is not what Alton nor Worldham needs or wants. This is an attractive, greenfield site in a sensitive and strategic location, an important green gateway into Alton and the South Downs National Park. It will completely change the character of this area.”