COUNCIL chiefs are putting the final touches to a plan for 12,500 homes in and around Winchester district.

Projects at Barton Farm, Silver Hill and Pitt Manor and others form part of Winchester City Council Local Plan for the homes across the district by 2031.

Major schemes involved include 2,000 homes at Barton Farm, 287 in Silver Hill, 294 at the former police HQ in Romsey Road and the 200-home ‘Winchester Village’ at Pitt Manor.

In Alresford, people are divided between an alternative plan by the Alresford Professional Group, to spread housing around the town and the favoured proposal in the local plan for housing on farmland off Sun Lane.

Some residents at the local plan committee, held at the Guildhall, backed the Sun Lane site. But others expressed concerns over difficult access.

One of those behind Sun Lane, said: “I consider the local plan with the bulk of development on site to be the best option, the site is available it gives us the housing we require and open space and of course the A31.”

Alresford resident Jon Cranfield also praised the scheme and said that he welcomed the open space and benefits to biodiversity in the town.

Senior planning officer Steve Opacic said the alternative plan was not “deliverable”.

He said: “A lot of comments we received objected to the local plan and a lot of further studies and assessments have been taken since then. We looked at viability and transport and officers have given careful thought to the local plan and looking at whether the alternative plan is deliverable.

“The local plan was the best and most deliverable plan and the alternative isn’t, despite public support.”

However the plan also drew criticism over sites for travellers and gypsies as it will no longer include proposals for 26 pitches because of a “delay” in a report to identify sites.

Spokesman for the Gypsy Council, Joseph Jones called the delay a “significant failure in policy by the local authority”.

The council will discuss the local plan at full council in the Guildhall on October 21.