Councillors backed up to 920 homes at Whitenap, south of Romsey, with 92 affordable where policy asks for up to 368. What the deal pays for, and what is next.
Up to 920 homes can be built at Whitenap, on farmland south of Romsey, after Test Valley’s Southern Area Planning Committee backed the scheme on 22 September. Only one home in ten will be affordable.
The council’s draft minutes, now published, record that the motion was carried. The committee met at Crosfield Hall in Romsey, which is about 15 miles south of Andover.
It was the scheme’s second time before councillors. In February they deferred it, asking for a fuller look at its finances and at flood risk.
What was decided
The committee did not grant permission outright. It delegated the decision to the Director of Planning and Development, who can issue outline permission once two things are done:
- a Habitats Regulations Assessment, with a satisfactory response from Natural England, covering nitrogen in the Solent, visitor pressure on the New Forest and Solent sites, and the Mottisfont bats
- a signed legal agreement under section 106 that secures the homes, the school and the money listed below
The draft minutes do not give a vote count. They name the proposer and seconder, and say the motion “was carried”. The chairman declared that part of his property borders the site, made a statement and left the room before the item.
Speakers against were a representative of Romsey Town Council and an objector from the Romsave campaign group. The applicants’ agent spoke in favour.
The scheme
The application, reference 22/01213/OUTS, was registered on 4 May 2022. The applicants are Ashfield Estate, CG Fry & Son Ltd, Morrish Homes and Wyatt Homes.
The site covers about 75.77 hectares. It sits south of Romsey and west of North Baddesley, between the Romsey to Southampton railway and the A27 Luzborough Lane, according to the officer’s report.
The outline plans include:
- up to 920 homes
- a 1.5 form entry primary school and early years provision
- a community hall and medical consulting rooms
- employment space, visitor accommodation and space for local food production
- two new roundabout accesses onto Luzborough Lane
- two areas of natural greenspace, at Luzborough Plantation and Beggarspath Woodland
- a pedestrian and cycle bridge over the railway, to be built before the 800th home is occupied
Only the access points are fixed. Layout, appearance, landscaping and scale come later, as “reserved matters”. The first of those applications has to be made within three years of the permission.
Why only 10% affordable
Test Valley’s Local Plan asks for up to 40% affordable housing. On 920 homes that would be 368. The scheme will provide 10%, or 92 homes.
The developers submitted a viability assessment saying the scheme could not pay for more. After the February deferral the council had it checked by an outside consultant. The report says that consultant concluded the scheme “is indeed unviable” at 40%, and only viable at 10%.
Two reviews are built in, in case the numbers improve:
- before the 400th home is occupied: any extra affordable homes would be built on the site
- before the 900th home: any extra would be paid as money for affordable housing elsewhere
The officers called the shortfall “unfortunate” but said the Local Plan allows a lower figure when it is justified.
What the developers must pay
The legal agreement lists these sums. All figures are from the draft minutes.
| What it pays for | Amount |
|---|---|
| Off-site highway improvements | £6,025,000 |
| Secondary school places | £2,995,029 |
| Outdoor sports facilities off the site | £1,790,728 |
| Local health care capacity | £930,634.74 |
| Special educational needs (SEND) provision | £750,000 |
| Walking and cycling links in Botley Road Park | £212,260.25 |
| Public art | £100,000 |
On top of these, the developers must run a Whitenap bus service, provide a mobility hub, lodge a £175,000 travel plan bond and keep 0.5 hectares of land available for the primary school to grow.
The secondary school money will go to Romsey Academy or Mountbatten School. Which one will be settled after the decision, according to the committee’s update paper.
The row over GP space
The health money was raised on the night. The officer’s report had proposed £619,438. The update paper replaced that with £930,634.74.
The local NHS Integrated Care Board had asked for £1,519,035 towards a new Romsey Health Hub. It told the council that Romsey’s existing practices are “already operating significantly over capacity”. It said the lower sum covers only reorganising existing surgeries.
Officers did not accept the larger figure. They said it did not meet the legal tests for what a developer can be asked to pay.
Why the council said yes
The site has been earmarked for housing since the 2016 Local Plan. Policy COM3 allocated it for about 1,300 homes, so 920 is fewer than planned.
The report also points to housing supply. Councils must show five years’ worth of land for housing. Test Valley’s figure, as of 1 April 2025, is 2.54 years, measured against a need of 934 homes a year. The report says refusing Whitenap would make that worse, because the site was already partly counted.
Opposition was heavy. The report records 621 letters of objection across six rounds of public consultation. Romsey Town Council, Romsey Extra Parish Council and Braishfield Parish Council all objected. Romsey Town Council and Romsey Extra Parish Council called the drop to 10% affordable “unacceptable”.
What it means for you
- Nothing will be built yet. Permission is not issued until the legal agreement is signed and Natural England is satisfied. Detailed designs then need their own applications.
- You can follow it on the planning register. Search Test Valley’s planning portal for 22/01213/OUTS. The decision notice will appear in the documents tab when it is issued.
- The road changes come first in the detail. Two new roundabouts on Luzborough Lane and a lower speed limit there are part of the package, so expect A27 works once building starts.
- Waiting for a GP in Romsey? The NHS has put its objection on record. The Romsey Health Hub is the project to watch.
For how planning decisions are made in Andover and across the borough, see our Andover planning news page.
Sources
- Test Valley Borough Council, Southern Area Planning Committee draft minutes, 22 September 2026, minute 176, for the resolution, every legal agreement item and sum, the speakers and the chairman’s declaration.
- Test Valley Borough Council, officer’s report on 22/01213/OUTS, for the site, the February deferral, the 40% policy, the viability review, the housing land supply and the objections.
- Test Valley Borough Council, committee update paper, 22 September 2026, for the revised health figure, the NHS response and the secondary school allocation.
- Test Valley Borough Council, meeting page, 22 September 2026.
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