Calls for council to rethink approach to Market Parade redevelopment

A COMMUNITY leader is pleading with a council to rethink its stance on a proposed £15m building in a town centre.
Plans for the Market Parade developmentPlans for the Market Parade development
Plans for the Market Parade development

Ray Cobbett, a former county councillor for Emsworth, is objecting to proposals for an apartment block of up to 13 storeys in Market Parade, Havant.

Planning officers at Havant Borough Council have recommended councillors vote to approve the plans at a meeting this Thursday.

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Mr Cobbett, who used to live in Havant town centre, said: ‘It appears that the sole justification for considering and recommending the proposal is that it’s the only one that has come forward.

‘This suggests that any development is better than none at all and is therefore hardly a sound principle for planning the town’s future.’

And he added: ‘By treating one small part of Market Parade as a separate planning entity the council is putting at risk the delivery of an integrated solution for whole area in the medium to long term.’

He said the application should be deferred to allow more community involvement.

But a council planning report states: ‘This scheme could be the catalyst for the large scale redevelopment of this area.’