A massive industrial and business park that’s 2.7 million square feet in size – including enormous warehouses – is proposed for green belt land close to Popham Airfield.
The site is on the other side of the A303 which runs along the east side of the airfield, and will completely swallow the farm that’s currently there. It will be a Logistics Park when built.
“This is an entirely separate development to that being proposed for Popham Airfield, but obviously any significant new development in this area will have an influence on the plans for Popham Garden Village,” said the campaign group Popham Matters, which is leading objections to the garden village propsed for Popham Airfield.
“Our professional planning consultant has reviewed the plans, and we consider that the logistics park development per se poses no threat to the continued operation of the airfield.
“Understandably the residents of Popham Parish and many other residents in the surrounding villages have grave concerns about the impact of such a development on themselves and the local area.
“The Dever Society and Popham Parish Meeting have supplied the following information and points that you can use to object to this proposal, and would really appreciate our support.”
Red outline shows approx area of the Popham Logistics Park
What is Popham Logistics Park?
For full details, click here https://pophamlogistics.co.uk/the-proposals/
This is what the developers – the same people who are trying to build a new town at Micheldever – are proposing, and they have submitted a planning application to Basingstoke Council.
“Local residents believe this is completely inappropriate for the rural area,” say campaigners.
“It could overwhelm local roads with thousands of HGVs, destroy important farmland, damage wildlife and biodiversity and pose unacceptable risks to our globally important chalk streams.
“It will be visible for miles around and the enormous earth movements during construction will be devastating to this undulating landscape. And we already know that water supplies are limited in this area.
“If you believe this too then please object to the planning application – the deadline for comments is 28 May 2026.”
‘A massive eyesore’ – Popham Logistics Park
Here are some points to consider:
- Traffic chaos: Will draw 32,000 additional vehicles, many HGVs, onto the roads between Winchester and Basingstoke daily. This traffic would have otherwise bypassed the area on the Strategic Road Network (M3, A303 and A34).
- No New Hospital: The site recently purchased for Hampshire’s new hospital, selected for good road access near the M3 Junction 7, will no longer be viable due to overloaded roads hindering emergency vehicle access.
- More road accidents: The local road network is not designed for this level of traffic with single carriageways, no footpaths or cycleways. More Accidents and delays where village traffic accesses the A30 and A33.
- Site is miles from the Strategic Road Network: Traffic must travel along the A30 and A33 roads serving villages between Basingstoke and Winchester in order to access the site. Vehicles will take short cuts through villages. M3 Junction 9: 10.8 miles. M3 Junction 7: 3.6 miles. A303: 2.4 miles.
- Disturbance 24/7: Traffic and noise pollution 24 hours per day, seven days a week. Light pollution all night.
- Water Shortage: South East Water have indicated that there is insufficient water for existing expansion plans.
- Sewage Spills: No sewage infrastructure included: Sewage pumped to North Waltham village treatment works.
- Consumers pay for infrastructure improvements: The required electricity, water and wastewater infrastructure is not in place and consumers will pay for improvements.
- Scar on the rural landscape: Sited on high ground and visible for miles around with warehouse roof levels at 158m above sea level. Warehouses are a massive 254,000 square meters (40 football pitches) in area and 25m (6 double decker buses) high. Incongruous industrial structures in the rural landscape.
- Loss of wildlife habitat: 150 acres of green field agricultural land covered in HGV parking areas, car parks and buildings. Site is home to many endangered species of birds, 12 out of the14 UK species of bats and Dormice.
- Unsuitable Undulating Site: Hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of fill material must be imported to site to form building plateaus.
- Reduces food security: 393 acres taken out of agricultural production. Would feed 5,000 people.
- Damage to Hampshire Chalk Streams: The site is directly on top of the chalk aquifer supplying the Rivers Test, Itchen and Loddon. Abstraction of yet more water will reduce flows and run off from HGV traffic, sewage overflow and even treated sewage will pollute the aquifer.
- Bad for ‘levelling up’: existing warehouse and HGV driver jobs will be taken from the existing warehouse sites in the Midlands, where they are needed, and relocated to rural Hampshire, where they are not needed.
- Insufficient local people to fill jobs: We are lucky to live in an area of low unemployment. The local area cannot supply a workforce of several thousand and employees will be forced to travel from distant urban centres adding to road congestion.
- Bad for the UK manufacturing: The warehouse scheme encourages imports of goods via Southampton and Portsmouth competing with UK manufacturing.
- Bad for the UK economy: The first occupant of the site is stated to be Amazon well known for avoiding UK corporation tax. The applicant is a company based in the British Virgin Islands, presumably to minimise UK tax.
- Low quality jobs: The GMB union is campaigning for better pay and conditions at Amazon. Will local people want these jobs?
- Site previously rejected: During the local plan site selection phase the site was rejected due to visual impact and poor access to the highway network amongst other reasons.
- No Local Need: The Basingstoke and Deane Draft Local Plan already takes up the necessary logistics space requirement.
- Bad for Local Businesses: The proposal includes ‘The Hub’; which aims to provide community facilities competing with local small businesses.
- Loss of Visual Gap between Basingstoke and Winchester: The site directly adjoins the Winchester City Council area removing the gap on the Basingstoke side.
Here’s how to object:
Online: To view the application documents online and submit a comment go to:
https://publicaccess.basingstoke.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=TBQZ4OCRH6L00
Click on the ‘Comments’ tab.
If already registered with B&DBC select ‘Login and make a comment’.
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