Whiteley scheme could hit traders, says Fareham council leader
112208_CAT_MEETING_20/06/11 Fareham Town Council leader, Sean Woodward, speaking at a public meeting at Neville Lovett school, Fareham. Community Action Team meeting regarding 7,000 new homes planned for north Fareham. Picture: Allan Hutchings (112208-841)
THE leader of Fareham Borough Council has hit out at plans to extend a new shopping centre in Whiteley – fearing it could affect trading elsewhere.
Developers Whiteley Co-ownership Trust applied for planning permission from Winchester City Council to add an extra mezzanine floor to the £64m development, which is yet to be built.
But Fareham Borough Council has objected to the plans.
It fears that a bigger development will affect the vitality and viability of Fareham town centre and that it is too big to serve the needs of Whiteley.
Sean Woodward, leader of Fareham Borough Council, said: ‘It’s more than is needed for Whiteley.
‘It was too big before and it will be much too big after this. Whiteley shopping centre was designed to cater for Whiteley which is 3,000 houses.
‘While I welcome getting more traditional high street shops into Whiteley I do think that it’s far too big and after this it will be far, far too big.’
Meanwhile, Cllr Woodward raised concerns about the impact it could have on traders in Fareham.
‘It’s about the impact on the surrounding shopping centres and the impact on people going about their normal business,’ he said.
‘I’m sure residents in Whiteley will welcome the range of shops but I hope they don’t end up ruing the day they can no longer get to the shops or get out of Whiteley.’
The ward councillor for Whiteley, Sam Newman-McKie, said: ‘We have always said that we welcome quality jobs in the area and the new Whiteley will bring those jobs.
‘It’s a difficult balance between that and the extra traffic that’s going to come in.’
A spokesman for the Whiteley Co-Ownership Trust said: ‘The requested additional mezzanine floor space will give retailers the flexibility they require to trade successfully within a quality high street environment.
‘The proposals will help deliver a town centre that residents at Whiteley can be proud of.’
Fareham councillors will discuss the Whiteley scheme at a planning meeting tomorrow night.
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Comments
There are 41 comments to this article
Page 1 of 3
swerves007
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 12:06 PMOh dear to no paragraphs!
swerves007
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 12:05 PMApologies for effectively bumping this but once again I'm amazed at some of the comments here. It's seems some have an ulterior motive and it's less about the topic and more about having a go at someone in particular, and you know what it's quite dull in what could be an interesting debate about our local community. Some people are so full of themselves one wonders why they don't actually do something about it (and that's not commenting anon in some little blog with little fact but much poison) and become elected if what they're saying so resonates with the community. My view is that the problem with Whiteley is that's it's split in two. The postal address is Whiteley, Fareham, regardless of the council in 'charge'. It's funny that people that want YTD open also didn't want a school on their part of Whiteley, well here's the thing, Whiteley was supposed to have 2 schools, one on each side, 4 classes in each year, about what is required interestingly. But one side of Whiteley couldn't have that (I was that side btw) could they, oh no. It's down to few people that the school we do has is 3 form instead of 2 form and that didn't happen as a result of people here commenting anon, it happened because someone cared about Whiteley, all the children of Whiteley, and did something about it. Not like our LibDem Winchester MP at the time who wasn't sure where Whiteley was and couldn't even spell it, I know this because I actually contacted both Whiteley's MPs for their view and spoke to them both personally. I know this remains somewhat off the point of the topic and I couldn't find a general rant topic but has anyone got any history on why Whiteley, Fareham came to be split in two, it makes absolutely no sense to me. It's made our community very us and them which is a shame. Or maybe that's just the view of the tiny amount of people that comment here and maybe generally it's a much more grown up cross functional caring community than the comments here suggest.
farehamscareham
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 07:42 PMWw gets more coverage than our local MP,, whatever hisher name is? What will we all do when Ww gets himself "petered" into the 'police' position in Winchester. Question.. How will know if he gets the job? Answer ...Yew Tree Drive will be opened to assist his run to Winchester!
sidious
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 03:56 PMLet's have a quick and dirty look on Google. Gosport doesn't seem to charge after 6pm in many of their car parks and others after 7pm and then charges are much cheaper anyway. Havant doesn't seem to charge after 6pm. Winchester doesn't seem to charge after 6pm. Wickham doesn't seem to charge after 5pm and you get half an hour for free. I agree that Portsmouth and Southampton seem to charge in the evenings but they're city centres where space is at a premium and people have reason to visit in the evenings. Whiteley won't charge at all. So "many"? I don't think so. Fareham has a cinema now, which is nice yet a good many people still choose to go to Port Solent and Odeon Leisureworld instead, where there's free parking and other food and entertainment. Sainsburys at Wallington doesn't seem to have suffered from Tesco being there. Maybe people prefer the experience. "Many" of the 5000 forces personnel being made redundant will want to reside in the Fareham area. Is that guesswork? I don't suppose many people living in the green area North of Fareham want 7000 houses foisted on them either but will you take notice of that, Mr Fareham Councillor? Fareham always seems to offer the bare minimum; it's a coaster. If it had a performance review, it might scrape through with a "satisfactory with room for improvement, but not fit for promotion" marking.
truthfulwest
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 02:59 PMJust for the record. Parking charges in Fareham go up every 2 years not yearly.Many other local authorities in the area charge after 6pm,FBC do not. The land that Tesco's outbid other stores for in the town centre was owned by much larger land holders than FBC. For many years now in the residents surveys people wanted a large food store in the town centre as one of their priorities. along with a cinema.The council got them both. All worthwhile councillors aim to protect their own councils shopping areas.The leader of FBC is doing likewise. Many of the services personnel being made redundant in the next few years(5000) will wish to reside in the Fareham area along with the 2284 applicants on the waiting list as of the 31st January. I am sure the people who live in Stubbingotn and the Peak Lane area do not want 3480 homes built on the farmland between them. and the other many green areas in our borough.
DozyRosie
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 02:48 PMInteresting speech given by Phil Wrigley at Oxford University reported in The Financial Times today - death of the High Street.
sidious
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 11:55 AM@34 Given the choice of being a part-time checkout person in a pound shop in Fareham town centre and spending a significant amount of your hard earned wages on parking charges and being able to walk to work to Marks and Spencer in Whiteley, I'd say that there was a quality difference even at that level.
Just Passing
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 11:49 AMIs a part-time checkout person now a quality job?
sidious
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 10:20 AM@32 If I told you, my post would suddenly disappear!
Mr Chips
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 10:04 AMHow does this bloke keep getting re-elected ???
sidious
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 05:28 PM@29 That would seem to be the case. Not only does he want total rule over Fareham but he wants his way over Winchester, who don't hold a high opinion of him at the best of times, as well as anyone else who crosses him. It's the way he does his private business as well, if you trawl back through News reports and have a look. Which makes it all the more worrying when you consider his next ambition, however unlikely it may be.
DozyRosie
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 05:27 PM@ 27 - Sarisbury ward includes Whiteley.
Shaun Cunningham
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 05:02 PMSidious-- Ref: Will severely undermine the delivery of an appropriately scaled and diverse district centre for the future North of Fareham Strategic Development Area as identified in the South Hampshire strategy for main town centre uses".---------So Whiteley residents support a new modern shopping centre but Councillor Woodward says NO, while the residents of North Fareham who have spoken in a clear voice --WE DO NOT WANT THE NORTH FAREHAM SDA—are told by Councillor Woodward, you are going to have it regardless. Sounds like one-man rule, dictatorship, a councillor out of tune with the public sentiment, and I thought councillors were elected to serve the people
DozyRosie
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 04:39 PM@27 - was that not the point I made at @5 before the agenda was published? With the demand for office space and employment floorspace at its lowest ebb for years and with the increasing prospects for more expensive housebuilding due to improved sustainability requirements, plus the propensity for Fareham and Hampshire to develop Community Infrastructure charges of in excess of £10-15000 per dwelling plus costs of needed alterations to M27 and the delivery of the BRT into the SDA, there must be very significant worries about the viabiity of the whole SDA project. Would our leader be that involved if he became the Police Commissioner?
sidious
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 04:09 PMIf you want a laugh, it's worth actually looking at the addition to tonight's agenda, erroneously listed as under the Sarisbury Ward. The game is given away in paragraph B: "(b) Will severely undermine the delivery of an appropriately scaled and diverse district centre for the future North of Fareham Strategic Development Area as identified in the South Hampshire strategy for main town centre uses". Woodward's worried about his thunder being stolen.
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