Developer Harrow Estates is preparing to submit initial plans to East Hampshire District Council for 1,100 houses on Chawton Park Farm near Alton.

Its Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Opinion Request will identify issues an Environmental Impact Assessment would address.

Harrow Estates’ plans include a local centre and primary school land. Up to 40 per cent of homes would be ‘affordable’.

Planning director Steve Neal said: “Our plans for land south-west of Alton are a real opportunity to plan properly for Alton’s future.”

Harrow Estates will hold public consultations next year.

A31 Alliance chair Sir Charles Cockburn, of Beech, said: "It is difficult to improve on the comment made by Richard Millard, leader of East Hampshire District Council, on May 29, 2022, responding to Simon Jenkins’ recommendation that permission for development of Chawton Park Farm be refused.

“Cllr Millard said: ‘Good! It is the wrong location; it is the wrong size; and it has the wrong infrastructure provision.’

“None of those negative factors have changed over the last three years."

East Hampshire cannot demonstrate the five-year housing land supply required to fend off speculative developments such as this.

It was updating its Local Plan when the government doubled its housing target and forced it to make almost all of 274 possible sites available for housing, prompting 21,394 protesters to sign the Save Jane Austen Country online petition.

Sir Charles added: "The A31 Alliance strongly advises local people to contact their district councillor to demand their say on a Local Plan that has completely changed since they were last consulted.

“Any attempt by East Hampshire District Council to avoid such a re-consultation would represent the opposite of democratic accountability.

“The large developers are in charge of planning policy in East Hampshire. Welcome to the Urban District of Jane Austen Country. Sign the Save Jane Austen Country petition.”