PLANS to build 33 houses on the chalk quarry at Hurstbourne Priors have been submitted to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

The application by ZGR Limited to restore and manage the quarry for nature conservation includes constructing a new roundabout on the B3400, closing the existing access and creating a new one and building 11 affordable housing units and 24 market housing units.

Although the application is only for outline planning permission at this stage, the submissions says the plans show what is proposed for the site.

A report from agent The Bell Cromwell Partnership says the development 'will enable a number of planning objectives to be achieved'.

These include substantial road safety improvement measures, the opportunity to provide ecological enhancement measures, the removal of the landscape 'scar' in an area of outstanding natural beauty and the provision of affordable housing in an area of need.

A sustainable transport assessment by RPS Consulting adds the site is accessible by good bus services which also links to the rail network at Whitchurch station. It is also within the cycling threshold of 5km to schools, shops and employment facilities.

It is around four years since chalk was extracted from the pit and it is now classified as a brownfield site.

The plans also show the provision of a new village green, a pond and a children's play area.