Landscape, Heritage, and Setting

Bushfield Camp occupies a highly sensitive landscape location on the southern edge of  Winchester, forming part of the transition between the built extent of the city and the  downland landscape of the South Downs National Park. The site lies on elevated ground  overlooking the River Itchen valley and is visible from several locations within the  surrounding landscape, including viewpoints within the National Park and nearby  heritage assets such as St Catherine’s Hill.  The site currently forms part of an open and largely undeveloped landscape separating  Winchester from the village of Compton, contributing to the character of the Winchester Compton Street Local Gap. Its semi-natural character and relationship with the  surrounding landscape mean that development proposals at Bushfield must be  assessed carefully in terms of their potential impacts on landscape character, visual  amenity, the setting of the South Downs National Park and the historic environment.  

The site lies immediately adjacent to the South Downs National Park, and development  within its setting must be considered in light of national planning policy which requires  great weight to be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in  National Parks. Recent revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (February  2025) strengthen the weight given to designated landscapes within decision-making.  Paragraph 11(d)(i), which governs the operation of the presumption in favour of  sustainable development, requires that development should be refused where the  policies protecting areas or assets of particular importance provide a strong reason for  doing so.  Footnote 7 of the NPPF identifies National Parks and designated habitats as such  protected areas. As a result, development proposals affecting the setting of a National  Park must demonstrate a particularly high standard of design and landscape integration.  The Bushfield proposals introduce substantial built form, including 3–4 storey buildings  across an elevated plateau overlooking the South Downs National Park. The scale and  massing of the proposed “Knowledge Quarter” would introduce a prominent urbanising  element into views from the National Park and its surrounding landscape. The reliance  on features such as green roofs does not address the fundamental visual impact created  by the overall scale and massing of the development.  In addition, public authorities exercising functions which may affect a National Park are  subject to a statutory duty under Section 245 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act  2023, which strengthens the long-standing duty to have regard to National Park purposes.  Decision-makers must now seek to further the statutory purposes of National Parks,  namely conserving and enhancing natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage, and  promoting opportunities for public enjoyment of those qualities.  Where there is conflict between these purposes and other considerations, the Sandford  Principle applies. This principle establishes that greater weight should be given to the  conservation of the National Park. In the context of development proposals affecting the  setting of the South Downs National Park, this duty reinforces the requirement that  planning decisions prioritise the protection of landscape character, ecological value and  cultural heritage associated with the National Park. The scale and visual prominence of  the proposed development raises significant concerns as to how the Council could  discharge this statutory duty when determining the application.  

  The South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) has raised significant concerns  regarding the scale of development proposed within the outline application. In its  consultation response the SDNPA concluded that “It is unlikely that, with the quantum of  development currently proposed, it could be successfully demonstrated that adverse  impacts upon the SDNP have been avoided or minimised”.  The South Downs National Park Authority is the statutory planning authority responsible  for conserving and enhancing the National Park. Its assessment of landscape and visual  impacts within the setting of the Park therefore carries significant weight in the  determination of development proposals affecting the National Park and its setting. The  Authority’s conclusion that the current quantum of development is unlikely to avoid or  minimise adverse impacts therefore represents a significant material consideration for  the decision-maker.  This statement is particularly significant because it confirms that the potential harm  arises from the overall quantum of development, rather than from design details that  could be resolved at a later stage. Granting outline consent for a scheme of this scale  would effectively establish the maximum parameters of development, including  f loorspace and building heights. Any subsequent Reserved Matters applications would  be required to work within those parameters. As a result, the fundamental landscape impacts associated with the approved scale of development could not realistically be  addressed through later design refinements.  While the SDNPA has acknowledged the principle of development at Bushfield within the  emerging Local Plan allocation, its response indicates that this support is contingent  upon development being delivered at a scale capable of being successfully integrated  into the landscape setting of the National Park. The addendum plans do not demonstrate  any meaningful reduction in the quantum of development. Without a substantial  reduction in floorspace, building height and overall intensity of use, the proposal fails to  demonstrate that adverse impacts on the setting of the South Downs National Park can  be avoided or minimised in accordance with national planning policy. 

Local Plan Policy CP18 seeks to protect Local Gaps in order to retain the separate identity  of settlements and prevent coalescence. Bushfield Camp lies within the Winchester Compton Street Local Gap, which currently forms an important area of open landscape  separating the built edge of Winchester from the village of Compton. The addendum  masterplan proposes extensive built development across the site, including multiple 3 and 4 storey buildings and associated infrastructure. The introduction of a large-scale  commercial campus in this location would substantially alter the open character of the  gap and introduce a continuous urban presence where a largely undeveloped landscape  currently exists. This level of development risks undermining the role of the Local Gap in  maintaining the distinct identity of surrounding settlements. 

Paragraph 139 of the National Planning Policy Framework states that development that is  not well designed should be refused, particularly where it fails to reflect local design  policies or relevant design guidance such as the National Design Guide and National  Model Design Code. Bushfield Camp occupies a sensitive rural–urban fringe location,  forming part of the landscape transition between Winchester and the downland  landscape of the South Downs National Park.  The proposed masterplan adopts a campus-style development pattern, characterised by  large standalone buildings surrounded by access roads and parking areas. This form of  development reflects a conventional out-of-town business park rather than a landscape led extension of the existing urban fabric. The inclusion of high-density academic  accommodation (up to 525 beds) and a 60-bed hotel further increases the intensity of  development on the site. The resulting built form appears disproportionate to the site’s  sensitive landscape context and risks creating an isolated commercial enclave that does  not integrate successfully with the surrounding environment.  

The site lies within the wider setting of several important heritage assets, including St  Catherine’s Hill hillfort and the Hospital of St Cross, both of which derive part of their  significance from their historic relationship with the surrounding landscape. Paragraph  202 of the NPPF requires decision-makers to assess the impact of development on the  significance of heritage assets and to ensure that development conserves or enhances  that significance.  The introduction of large-scale commercial development within this landscape risks  altering the historic rural setting in which these heritage assets are experienced. In  particular, views from St Catherine’s Hill across the Itchen Valley towards Bushfield form  part of the historic landscape context of the hillfort. The introduction of prominent  modern development in these views would diminish the ability to appreciate the historic  landscape setting of these assets.