BCP COUNCIL is projected by the government to have a need for an 42,672 increase in its number of households in the 25-year period to 2038.

Most people understand the need for more homes to be built. However few people, as we have seen, would support the scattergun approach of hurling huge chunks of housing in a totally uncoordinated way onto existing settlements, with no regard for the facilities required or the quality of life of existing and future residents.

The government’s ‘number game’ housing strategy does not have to become an unmitigated disaster if the correct planning is put into place immediately.
All adjacent local authorities need to work together to design a ‘thinking big’ Master Plan for the whole area.

This Master Plan would need to incorporate input from Dorset, Hampshire/New Forest, Bournemouth etc, so that wider issues of transport, employment, housing, education, recreation/nature conservation and similar would be organised in an integrated way that works effectively and provides positive benefits for all.

The need to build more homes could become a way to resolve long-term intractable problems such as the gridlock in Christchurch and Barrack Road.

It has been known for over 20 years that an outer relief road (a proposed new “gold” route on the attached map) was needed for Christchurch, but no money was available to fund this.

The current cost would be well over £100 million.

However, an outer relief road could be funded by the creation of a sensitively designed development on the east side of Burton, so that it becomes a much larger settlement with all appropriate facilities to ensure a thriving community.

This housing would be in a prime place for the proposed job-creation area at Bournemouth Airport, which would be easily accessed using the outer relief road.

A new secondary school could be built to enhance opportunities for much-needed skills training, for example, providing a valuable resource for Burton and beyond.

To maximise transport options the outer relief road could start at Hinton Admiral Station which is conveniently situated by the A35 and could be enlarged to become a ‘Parkway’ with a rapid rail-air bus link along the new relief road to the north side of Bournemouth airport.

The safety of the A35 Cat and Fiddle junctions could also be improved with a roundabout/revised road layout. 

The Master Plan would have a landscape structure plan with substantial screen planting around the edges of new developments, planted in advance of building, and linked in with footpaths, cycleways and wildlife corridors which would provide real benefits for residents.

This vital investment in landscaping and planting is especially important for our naturally beautiful district bounded between coast and forest and coast and water meadows.

The need for affordable housing should still merit high-quality design and living conditions.

As an added bonus, the outer relief road and related development could be built quickly and with minimal disruption.

GEOFF BANTOCK
Rowan Drive, Highcliffe