Officers back Persimmon's 190 homes at Packridge Farm, south of Hoe Lane, despite 86 objections. 76 would be affordable. Register to speak by noon 12 October.
Up to 190 homes could be built on farmland on the southern edge of North Baddesley, about 16 miles south of Andover. Test Valley Borough Council’s planning officers are recommending that councillors back the outline plan by Persimmon Homes on Tuesday 13 October.
The site is 17.62 hectares at Packridge Farm, between Hoe Lane and Packridge Lane, west of Rownhams Lane. It lies in Nursling and Rownhams parish, but the officer report says future residents would “practically” experience it as an extension of North Baddesley. (Officer report, 26/00538/OUTS, Southern Area Planning Committee, 13 October 2026)
The report admits the scheme breaks the adopted Local Plan, because the land is countryside. It recommends approval anyway, because the council cannot show enough land for housing.
What Persimmon is proposing
The application is in outline, so only the access is fixed. The details of the houses would come later. The plans show:
- up to 190 homes, with the main road access from Hoe Lane
- 76 affordable homes, the full 40% the Local Plan asks for
- 9.92 hectares of new public greenspace (SANG) to the south, with its own car park off Packridge Lane
- a walking route linking that greenspace to the existing Mountbatten Park greenspace
- play areas and informal open space, plus ponds and drainage basins
- a shared path to Rownhams Lane, a footway along the north side of Hoe Lane, and a new shelter with live times at the Meadow Close bus stop
There are no sports pitches or allotments on site. The report says pylons, a water main, slopes and the greenspace leave no room. Persimmon would pay towards facilities elsewhere instead.
Why officers say yes
Test Valley can show only 2.54 years of housing land supply, against the five years national policy requires. It also scored 64% in the government’s Housing Delivery Test, published on 17 August. Below 75%, national policy tilts decisions towards approving homes next to existing settlements.
The site was earmarked for housing in the council’s draft Local Plan 2042, as policy SA21. On 22 July the council resolved to change direction and stopped progressing that draft, so the report gives the allocation “very limited weight”.
Officers weigh three harms against the scheme, each at “moderate” weight:
- it is outside the settlement boundary, in countryside
- a field would be built on, with “a limited degree of visual harm” to the landscape
- some of the best quality farmland would be lost
Against that, they count the homes and the 40% affordable housing as “substantial benefits”. Persimmon would also have to submit the detailed plans within two years, shorter than usual, to get the homes built sooner.
This is a different picture from Whitenap, south of Romsey, where the committee backed up to 920 homes in September with 10% affordable housing.
Who objected
The council received 86 objections and one letter of support. Both parish councils objected.
North Baddesley Parish Council said the homes would affect North Baddesley more than Nursling and Rownhams because of where they sit. It wrote: “There will be extra pressure on an already overloaded infrastructure, traffic, GP surgery, chemist, schools etc.”
Nursling and Rownhams Parish Council objected on planning policy, wildlife including bats and newts, and access. It said the roads “cannot cope” and that Hoe Lane and Packridge Lane are unsuitable. The Romsey and District Society said the scheme is bigger than the draft allocation allowed.
Residents’ most common concerns, as summarised in the report, were:
- traffic on Hoe Lane, which they describe as single lane in places, and the Hoe Lane and Rownhams Lane junction
- pressure on GP surgeries, schools, pharmacies and dentists
- loss of open farmland and the gap between settlements
- wildlife, trees and light pollution in a dark rural area
Hampshire County Council’s early years team also objected. It wanted a new 22-place nursery on site, or 22 more places nearby. Officers say a 22-place setting would not be viable and there is no policy basis to make Persimmon pay.
What the developer would pay
The legal agreement would secure these sums:
| What for | Amount |
|---|---|
| Expanding The Mountbatten School, forecast to be full | up to £618,539 |
| Floodlights and padel or pickleball courts at North Baddesley recreation ground | £369,816 |
| Walking and cycling schemes on Rownhams Lane and the A27 junction | £250,000 |
| Extending North Baddesley Surgery | £191,389 |
| Fence and gate at Nutburn Road allotments | £17,700 |
Hampshire County Council has also asked for £304,380 to run the Blue Star 4 bus every 20 minutes instead of every 30, between Romsey and Southampton via North Baddesley and Rownhams. The report says “significant concerns remain” about how that figure was worked out. Officers will say in an update paper before the meeting whether it is included.
No money is sought for primary school places. The county says Rownhams St John’s CE Primary is forecast to have room.
What it means for you
- The committee meets at 5.30pm on Tuesday 13 October in the Main Hall, Crosfield Hall, Broadwater Road, Romsey. The meeting is open to the public.
- To speak, you must tell the council by noon on Monday 12 October. The agenda says to notify Legal and Democratic Services at Beech Hurst. The committee clerk is Caroline Lovelock, on 01264 368000 or clovelock@testvalley.gov.uk. (Agenda, Southern Area Planning Committee, 13 October 2026)
- The recommendation is to delegate the decision to the Director of Planning and Development, once a section 106 agreement is signed. So a vote in favour on Tuesday is not the final permission.
- A second, separate plan for up to 40 homes off Hoe Lane, on land to the north west (26/01347/OUTS), is still being considered.
The application and its documents are on the council’s planning register under 26/00538/OUTS. Our planning news page covers other applications across Test Valley.
Sources
- Test Valley Borough Council, officer report on 26/00538/OUTS, Land at Packridge Farm, to Southern Area Planning Committee, 13 October 2026, for the proposal, consultation responses, objections, housing land supply, contributions and recommendation.
- Test Valley Borough Council, agenda and notice of meeting, Southern Area Planning Committee, 13 October 2026, for the time, venue, contact and the noon deadline for speakers.
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