The People behind the scene

Consultation Response Released

The response to the online Community Consultation shows overwhelming support for protecting Barn Meadow

Thank you for sharing your comments

We are still waiting for the Neighbourhood Plan Committee to release the responses from the open day event from November 2024 and to complete its review of the proposed housing sites across the town.

That may give a different picture, but as you can see from the .pdf document below, we have reviewed all the online responses and highlighted key parts of each response to indicate the overall opinion given. The methodology used in the consultation means that some answers might be open to interpretation, but overall, the response is undeniably in favour of protecting Barn Meadow.

The council published its own AI summary of the combined responses. It concludes that:

“The community strongly supports preserving the site as a Local Green Space and protecting its ecological and historical significance” and that

“Community consultations have consistently demonstrated strong support for designating this land as a Local Green Space, and proceeding with development here would undermine public trust and disregard the community’s wishes.”

The full response to all the Neighbourhood Plan policies can be found on this link. It includes more than 70 references to a desire for the water meadow to be protected for the future through designation as Local Green Space.

To see our guide to Local Green Space and why it is essential to protect Barn Meadow into the future, follow this link

Please continue to give your support to our campaign to protect Alresford’s water meadow and the wildlife it supports, as we press for the views of the people of Alresford to be reflected in their Neighbourhood Plan, ensuring that Barn Meadow is protected forever.

↑ see menu ☰ for pages giving further detail ↑

Help Save Barn Meadow

This beautiful water meadow in Alresford is under imminent threat from housing development

UPDATED 29 October 2025

The town council has released the responses from online part of the Community Consultation. We still await the in-person comments from the event at the Swan Hotel.

We have given our interpretation below. Thank you very much for your wonderful support.

Have you seen our page about potential future protection through a Local Green Space designation? – link here

Together, we can save Barn Meadow

– Click here for our guide to protecting Alresford’s water meadow for the future through Local Green Space –

How Do I Object?

The Community Consultation survey has now closed.

Whatever the outcome, we anticipate the need to take further action to protect Barn Meadow, so please get in contact with us at:

When Did the Survey Close?

Midnight on Tuesday 17 December 2024.

What was the outcome of the Community
Consultation?

As of late October 2025, we are still awaiting a reaction to the housing allocation responses from the Winter 2024 Community Consultation from the town council’s Neighbourhood Plan Committee.

In March 2025, the committee said it would report on the consultation responses at its April meeting. Unfortunately, this meeting was cancelled.

Seven months on, there is still no word of when the next committee meeting will take place. We will let you know as soon as it is announced.

Why Protect Barn Meadow?

There are many reasons to oppose any development of Barn Meadow. We believe that it is the least appropriate of all the sites proposed for housing in Alresford, due to:

Wildlife disturbance and displacement and loss of habitat
Pollution to River Itchen Catchment
Flooding
Road Safety at proposed Winchester Road site entrance
‘High Sensitivity Red’ Landscape next to public rights of way
Overwhelming calls from the community for the land’s designation as Local Green Space at the Summer 2023 and Winter 2025 Community Consultations
Barn Meadow would deliver just 9% of Alresford’s latest housing allocation. Despite so much impact and habitat destruction, at least two other sites would still be required.

Is There More I can Do to Help?

Whatever the outcome, we anticipate the need to take further action to protect Barn Meadow and we will need your help and support again.

Please also consider attending the meetings of the town council’s Neighbourhood Plan Advisory Committee – see link. This will help ensure accountability and transparency in the process.

Please get in contact with us at:

Slide

“The Wildlife Trust supports opportunities to secure Barn Meadow for nature recovery and further protection of the River Itchen catchment and its floodplain.

With the emerging Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), Barn Meadow on the River Arle floodplain represents a location of not insignificant importance to local nature recovery, and mitigation to climate change.

Aspirations to expand the urban conurbation further into the floodplain should carefully consider the impact on biodiversity, river water quality and resources, exacerbation to flood risk and conflict with other priorities such as the LNRS.

The River Arle is one of the most biodiverse and sensitive reaches within the Itchen catchment, an internationally renowned chalk river and Special Area of Conservation. Future land use changes should prioritise protection and recovery of this rich natural heritage.”

Martin De Retuerto

Director of Nature Recovery

Hampshire & Isle of Wight
Wildlife Trust

Key Reasons to Save Barn Meadow:

· Wildlife disturbance – the water meadow is surrounded by protected SSSI + SAC sites – see link to wildlife page

· ‘High Sensitivity’ landscape next to popular local rights of way, including the Wayfarer’s Way and the Alre Valley Trail – see link to download the trail guide

· Floodplain site – flooding issues + loss of future nature recovery, nutrient mitigation and other beneficial floodplain opportunities – see link to flooding page

· Road safety locally – The proposed access on Winchester Road raises a number of safety concerns and Drove Lane is a narrow lane with no pavement, busy with walkers and cyclists – see link to road safety page

· On an objective comparison of each of the sites, we believe that Barn Meadow is the least appropriate place proposed for housing in the Neighbourhood Plan’s search for the next 100 houses to be built in Alresford after the Sun Lane development – see link to all the proposed housing allocation sites in the town. Even after all the impact and habitat destruction, this floodplain site would only deliver 9% of the housing allocation required for the town, so at least two other sites would still be required

Where is Barn Meadow?

Barn Meadow is the former water meadow on Drove Lane, Alresford, Hampshire.

It lies at the point where the River Alre/Arle meets the River Itchen.

Who are the Friends of Barn Meadow?

We are a loosely-formed community-group campaigning to protect this key part of Alresford’s rich agricultural history, beautiful landscape and wildlife habitat.

Can I be a Friend of Barn Meadow?

Of course you can!

The Community Consultation has now closed, but our campaign continues.

Whatever the outcome, we anticipate the need to take further action to protect Barn Meadow, so please get in contact with us at:

“Don’t Worry, They’ll Never Get Planning Permission to Build on the Water Meadow!”

We have heard this from so many local people we speak to!

The reality is that the proposal is being given every consideration. We believe that if the community does not give a resounding rejection of the plans to build on this site, then Barn Meadow will be allocated for housing in the Neighbourhood Plan.

That’s why it has been so important that so many people have responded to the Community Consultation.

Thank you to everyone who has played their part so far.

What is the Neighbourhood Plan?

The ’emerging New Alresford Neighbourhood Development Plan’ – aka Alresford Neighbourhood Plan – aims to set planning policy to guide future development in the town and, crucially, will determine which sites are chosen for housing development in Alresford from 2030.

Winchester City Council’s Local Plan is a separate, overlapping plan. It requires New Alresford to find greenfield sites for 100 more houses. That’s in addition to the 302 houses currently being built at Sun Lane.

Another 100 Homes on top of the Sun Lane Development?

Everyone knows that there is a shortage of housing in this country and we all want the people we care about to have somewhere to live. At the same time, we love the river and surrounding countryside. It’s part of what makes Alresford so special to us all.

‘No development anywhere ever’ is simply not an option. Instead, we believe that a balance must be struck so that we choose ‘the right developments, in the right places’.

In Alresford, this leaves us with some very tough choices, but on the objective grounds set out on this website, we believe the Barn Meadow floodplain site is the least appropriate of all the options available.

If you agree with us, please join our campaign as we follow up on our successful campaign at the Winter 2024 Community Consultation.

What is the Community Consultation?

To ensure the Neighbourhood Plan reflects the wishes of the whole of Alresford, the town council has carried out a number of Community Consultations. There have been three so far.

The latest consultation has sought your response to the proposed policies of the Plan and will be used to determine where the next housing developments will be in Alresford from 2030.

The consultation survey closed on 17 December 2024. We are still awaiting the full results of the community’s response and are closely following the town council’s Neighbourhood Plan Advisory Committee, the steering group for the emerging plan.

Please come along to the committee’s meetings to ensure accountability and transparency of this process – see link to meetings schedule. We will publish details of all future meetings – they are held at the Alresford Recreation Centre at Arlebury Park.

How can I get more information?

For more information or an informal chat about how you might be able to help us, please contact us at:

Sites Protected for Biodiversity

65% of the site boundary is a SSSI
– a Site of Special Scientific Interest, designated by Natural England because of the important landscape, habitat and the rare species of animals and plants it contains

Of all the sites proposed for housing in Alresford, Barn Meadow is the only one on the Priority Habitats Inventory and the only one that borders SSSI or SAC sites

55% of the site boundary is an SAC
– a Special Area of Conservation, designated by the government’s Joint Nature Conservation Committee

SACs give higher level protection than SSSIs and protect habitats and species that are of the highest importance at European level

The meadow features on the Priority Habitats Inventory and is characterised as Good quality semi improved grassland, meaning it has good potential for restoration to species-rich meadow

Barn Meadow offers vital connectivity to the wildlife of the SSSI and SAC sites which have been designated for species including:

Otter

Water vole

White-clawed crayfish

If you are looking at this site on a mobile phone, you can see the full maps by turning your phone to give a landscape view – and if you are a web developer, please get in touch to let us know how to fix this!

Key Dates

as of Oct ’25

Still

TBC

Neighbourhood Plan Committee Meeting

Although the committee has chosen to review the housing site allocations in a working group behind closed doors, the Neighbourhood Plan Committee meetings are open to all the community.

The council cancelled the April meeting until ‘after Easter’ and we are still awaiting the rescheduled date. This should be a very important meeting, as we understand that the committee will discuss which sites will be allocated for housing within your neighbourhood plan and are likely to make their recommendations.

Details to follow here + Link to council website

DEC

TUESDAY 17 DECEMBER 2024

Community Consultation is now CLOSED
Thank you for your fantastic support

DEC

Online Community Consultation

– DEADLINE EXTENDED –

Please encourage your family and friends to respond. The consultation is open to the whole community.

Nov

Community Consultation

THURSDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2024

Have your say in person – open to all the community

The Swan Hotel, West Street, New Alresford – 12.00 – 8.00pm

Barn Meadow from Drove Lane bridge - wide — Barn Meadow lies to the
left of the river on Drove Lane

Barn Meadow in winter — winter on the water meadow