Homelands Planning Refused !!

Our planning application to convert the classification of C3 (residential dwelling) to C2 (residential institution), was refused by the Basingstoke and Dean Borough Council Development Committee at the Committee Meeting on Wednesday 16th February 2011. They are also seeking enforcement within 12 months. The Loddon School is likely to appeal this decision. Four children live at Homelands and are supported by a team of committed staff. These four boys have made considerable progress in their time at the school and at Homelands, and make regular use of the local amenties and take as full a part as they can in the community.

The school has owned the property since 1995, and children have lived there for 11 of the fifteen years of ownership. The building was redesigned and refurbished in 2004 and has since had many upgrades and additions. The school is naturally concerned by the refusal, and by the unexpected vociferousness of the opposition from local residents, who bar one, have been silent on the subject until now. The main objections appear to be noise, the dangerous, unclassified road, the frontage and curtilage of the property, and whether Homelands is a suitable location for our children to live in.

Councillor Robert Taylor, a newly appointed Trustee to the school, gave an impassioned speech, quoting another councillor who had said "behind high walls and far away" as being the most suitable location...