chilbolton.news

The Chilbolton Parish Council meeting last night was a tense affair marked by disagreements between councillors, a vote, and sharp exchanges between the Chair and villagers who had attended the meeting. At the heart of the disagreements was the governance of its plans to build 25 new homes in the village.

Test Valley Borough Council planning officer Emma Jones has recommended that the Northern Area Planning Committee approve the development of five houses at Test Valley Farm in Chilbolton. The controversial planning application will be discussed at the TVBC planning committee meeting on 13 Mar 2025.

At the hastily rearranged “informal” meeting last Saturday, we were told that at the Parish Council next Monday “governance” was going to be discussed. Parish councillors and members of the SWG all “have concerns about the governance of CPC” according to Cllr David Hall.

A Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) ¹ is a government-defined process undertaken by local planning authorities. Its purpose is to identify land which has the potential for the development of residential property.

In a surprise move, Chilbolton Parish Council (CPC) hijacked their own public meeting to announce that they had “paused” the planning pre-application they had lodged with Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC). It would be resubmitted with “modified” documents that would be publicly available.