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Alton locals throw the book at plan for homes in Jane Austen’s village
Ben Ellery and Peter Chappell
Saturday September 11 2021, 12.01am, The Times
Property
Jane Austen lived in Chawton in a cottage lent by her brother, who owned a bank in the nearby town of Alton
It is a truth universally acknowledged that when a developer wants to build a housing estate there is bound to be opposition. Especially when it is near Jane Austen’s home.
Property developers want to build a 1,200-home development on Chawton Park Farm, near Austen’s old house.
East Hampshire district council has to fulfil a government target of 11,000 new homes by 2038.
Residents of Alton, the nearest town, say that the development threatens to destroy the valley site, nestled at the heart of the landscape that inspired some of Austen’s greatest works.
The homes, planned by Harrow Estates and Redrow, would be part of Chawton, a parish of 500 people.
Carol Palmer, 59, the protest and petition organiser of the Alton Society, said that the council and the developers “have not justified properly why they have chosen this site”.
“[Austen] loved open, unspoilt country, and she knew the area very well. Her brother ran a bank in Alton, she would have come shopping in Alton, it’s only down the road.
“This is what’s annoying. It’s a lovely, hidden little corner, but it’s not sustainable [to build on]. Everyone will be using cars to get to Alton, the roads will be chock-a-block. The landscape will be destroyed. Total destruction. It’s a lovely, narrow valley of fields bounded by ancient woodland. It couldn’t be worse.”
She accused the council of not acting democratically and said that there had been no proper consultation on the choice of the site.
The Alton Society is staging a demonstration next Saturday and some protesters plan to dress up as Austen characters.
An online petition against the development has attracted 2,200 names. It states: “Chawton Park Farm’s peaceful narrow-sided wooded valley is threatened with a ‘garden village’ of 1,200 homes, primary school and community centre. It lies 1.5km from the centre of Alton and is bounded by ancient woodland and [Sites of Nature Conservation Interest].”
Austen wrote about the landscape, which local people say will be ruined by housing
Organisers say that they are opposed to the estate’s location as it is too far from the town’s amenities, and that it would have a “detrimental affect on local ancient woodland”. They point to a medieval deer park on the site, which they say would be disrupted.
They plan to attend and oppose ratification of the proposal by the council, which is due to take place on September 23. They also call for a recalculation of the housing numbers for East Hampshire, and describe the proposals as “incomprehensible”.
“Given the likely number of cars generated by [the development], we envisage Chawton Park Road becoming a continuous bottleneck for all users, with attendant increased levels of noise and air pollution,” the petition says.
The council said: “Chawton Park Farm is considered the most sustainable option for a large development due to its proximity to Alton and its services and facilities. We have had two consultations including the large site consultation in 2019, which looked at ten large sites in the district . . . A large site like this would provide varied infrastructure to further meet the needs of residents, namely a new primary school, community facilities as well as extensive recreational opportunities. Affordable housing would also be provided.”
Harrow Estates was approached for comment.