A CRUCIAL battle line in the defence against infill developers in Winchester has passed the first hurdle.

Civic chiefs in the city have agreed a new policy aimed at protecting one of the city's most prestigious areas.

Chilbolton Avenue was highlighted in the Daily Echo last month because of residents' fears over the intrusion of in-fill developments.

The Local Area Design Statement (LADS) will help guide future decisions over planning on the street in a bid to keep some of its leafy character.

In a report voted on by Winchester City Council Cabinet yesterday, LADS is described as a response to growing concern that the character of Chilbolton Avenue is being jeopardised.

The Daily Echo revealed that some householders have received up to £500,000 for parts of their back gardens providing space for developers to build new homes.

Campaigner Michael Newby said the LADS would be vital to prevent any further damaging development. However, the report warns that it may not have the teeth needed to prevent the development local residents say they fear.

The report says: "Because the LADS must supplement government and local plan policy, they cannot resist development in principle, but aim to identify the most important features of the area and to put forward design guidance which will help to ensure these are retained and enhanced with future development."

The report also says: "While it would not be realistic to impose the embargo on the development that some residents may like to see, the LADS will impose restrictions where they can be justified in order to achieve good design, which will limit the scale and nature of development, particularly in some character areas."

Current planning applications - both those recently passed and those pending consideration - are unlikely to be affected by the LADS. However, future applications will have to take into account the points made in the document about preserving the area's character.

A four to six-week public consultation exercise will be conducted by the authority before the policy can be fully adopted - something that is expected to happen later this summer.

LADS are also planned for other areas targeted by developers, including Sleepers Hill, Compton Down and Springvale.

Neighbourhood Design State-ments are planned for parts of the Fulflood area of Winchester.