The Plans
Under a new planning application submitted by the landowner the Church Commissioners for England, in partnership with Legal & General and Gisborne, the 49 acre site would be a mix of office, academic and employment space, including:
- Multiple buildings in excess of 2, up to 4, storeys
- Student accommodation
- Hotel
- Retail, cafés & restaurants
- Entertainment
- Multi-storey car parks for 1,055 cars
- Only 1 entrance/exit has been detailed in the application, an allowance has been designed in to extend the onsite road which would add an additional exit/entrance on Badger Farm Road at a future date.
The plans have been designed to attract over 3,000 individuals alongside their various means of transport to the area - a figure that is in excess of the population of Badger Farm (2,463 at 2021).
Some History
Bushfield Camp was established in June 1939 on land that was originally a cornfield. It was used during the Second World War by the King's Royal Rifle Corps and the Officer Cadet Training Unit (OCTU) for American men who enlisted in the British Army for the duration of the War. After the War it was used as the Army Records Centre in the 1950s, a hostel for archaeological excavation volunteers 1964-67, a transit camp for troops returning from the Far East in 1967 and finally accommodation for 223 Signals Squadron (Royal Corps of Signals, alias the Intelligence Corps) who were based at Flowerdown Radio Interceptor Station at Harestock, 1972-75. It was abandoned by the Ministry of Defence 1975/76 and finally closed down 1977/78. The site provides extensive views of the city, and is situated within Compton and Badger Farm parishes.
Bushfield’s location is within the Winchester-Compton street local gap, bordered by the South Downs National Park and the River Itchen Special Area of Conservation.Areas of Bushfield itself, and neighbouring Whiteshute Ridge, are Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation.
For the past 50 years Bushfield has been naturally ‘rewilding’, questioning the accuracy of it being described as a derelict, brownfield site. During this time, it has been enjoyed by the community, valuing its green, recreational open space, gaining further appreciation during the pandemic. The housing areas of Badger Farm and Oliver’s Battery are to the north of Bushfield with Badger Farm Road as the only route providing access.
Bushfield is defined in Winchester’s Spatial Strategy as ‘UNIQUE’ and ‘SENSITIVE’ by the City Council itself.