Bere Hill 400 Homes: No Decision Before 19 January, Says NH

National Highways has told Test Valley Borough Council not to grant permission for up to 400 homes at Bere Hill until 19 January 2027. It says it cannot yet judge the effect on the A303.

Its response is now on the council’s planning file for 26/02098/OUTN, along with replies from more than a dozen other consultees. The formal consultation period ended on Thursday 29 October.

The site is 30.6 hectares of farmland between Ladies Walk and the A303, with the main way in from a new roundabout on Churchill Way (the A3093). We set out the full plan, including the 160 affordable homes, in our first report on the application.

What the consultees said

National Highways: missing traffic appendices

The A303 junction with Churchill Way is about 500 metres from the proposed roundabout. National Highways says the applicant’s transport assessment refers to traffic distribution data in two appendices, F and G, that do not appear on the planning portal. It needs both “as a minimum” to judge the impact on that junction.

It also says the assessment has no “vision” for cutting car trips, which Department for Transport guidance now expects. It adds that it has had no further contact from the applicant, the site promoter or the council since its screening response in June.

The response is a holding one, not an objection. National Highways says the council can still refuse the scheme, or agree more time, if it chooses.

Active Travel England: start the transport work again

Active Travel England, the government body for walking and cycling, has recommended deferral. It says the transport assessment relies on 2011 census journey-to-work data, which only covers commuting. It also notes that no audit of local walking and cycling routes was supplied.

It wants the applicant to:

• redo the trip forecasts for walking, cycling and buses, by purpose and across the whole day
• carry out an audit of the routes to local schools, including Winton Community Academy and Norman Gate, Vigo and Pilgrims’ Cross primaries
• set travel targets closer to the government’s aim of 55% of short trips walked or cycled by 2035, against the applicant’s 23%
• discuss contributions to cycling routes, footpaths and bus stops with Hampshire and Test Valley

The council’s own ecologist objects, for now

Test Valley’s ecology team has objected, because results from bat emergence surveys and faecal DNA tests were still pending when the application went in. It says no informed decision can be made without them.

It is also unhappy about a proposed access through a line of mature trees on the south-western boundary. It says the route would disturb a dark corridor used by bats and cut off hazel dormice, when two other accesses are already proposed. A skylark mitigation strategy will also be needed.

GP surgeries: £392,179 asked for

NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight estimates the homes would bring 948 new residents. It says the four surgeries whose catchments cover the site are already undersized:

• Adelaide Medical Centre, Adelaide Road
• Charlton Hill Surgery, Charlton Road
• Shepherds Spring Medical Centre, Cricketers Way
• St Mary’s Surgery, Church Close

It is asking for £392,179 towards extending Adelaide Medical Centre with up to six new consulting or treatment rooms. Any such payment would be secured in a legal agreement if permission were granted.

Heritage and landscape

The council’s conservation officer has no objection on the setting of Ladies Walk or its Grade II listed iron bridge. That is because the western part of the site, nearest the bridge, is shown as open space. The officer suggests the Churchill Way roundabout be moved further from two Grade II listed buildings at Picket Twenty Farm, the granary and the barn.

The council’s landscape officer welcomed the green frontage to Churchill Way and the perimeter footpaths. They asked for larger “legacy” trees and for the two roads crossing the central green to be designed with walkers and cyclists given priority.

Still to come

Two responses that usually matter most on a scheme this size were not on the file when we checked on 30 October: Hampshire County Council as highway authority and Hampshire as education authority. The site has no school of its own.

The council’s target date for a decision is 29 December 2026. National Highways’ hold runs three weeks beyond that, so a decision this year now looks unlikely unless the council refuses the application.

What it means for you

• You can still comment. The council usually takes comments into account until a decision is made, but the formal neighbour period closed on 23 October. Search for 26/02098/OUTN on the planning portal.
• Watch for revised documents. Several consultees have asked for new traffic, travel and ecology evidence. When it arrives, the council may consult again.
• A committee date has not been set. We will report it when it is. Other big applications across the borough are on our Andover planning news page.

Sources

• National Highways planning response NH/26/18232, for the 19 January 2027 recommendation, the missing appendices F and G, the 500 metre distance and the lack of contact since June.
• Active Travel England response ATE/26/01690/OUT, 22 October 2026, for the deferral, the 2011 census point, the 23% and 55% figures and the school routes.
• Test Valley ecology team response, for the objection, the pending surveys, the south-western access and the skylark strategy.
• NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB response, for the £392,179, the 948 residents, the four surgeries and the Adelaide Medical Centre extension.
• Test Valley conservation response and landscape response, for the heritage and landscape points.
• Test Valley Borough Council planning portal, comments and important dates tabs, read on 30 October 2026, for the 10 objections, the 29 October consultation expiry and the 29 December target date.