Landscape

• Bushfield Camp sits on high ground at the edge of Winchester, forming part of the open landscape between the city and Compton.
   
• The site is clearly visible from the South Downs National Park and from local landmarks such as St Catherine’s Hill.
   
• The proposals include large 3–4 storey buildings and a major commercial campus, which would introduce a large urban development into a currently open landscape.
   
• This would change the character of the area and could harm views across the Itchen Valley and the South Downs.
   
• National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) says great weight must be given to protecting the landscape and scenic beauty of National Parks.
   
  • Bushfield sits immediately next to the South Downs National Park, so its setting is highly sensitive.
     
• NPPF Paragraph 11(d)(i) says development should be refused where policies protecting important areas — such as National Parks — provide strong reasons for doing so.
   
• Under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, public authorities must seek to further the purposes of National Parks, including protecting their natural beauty and wildlife.
   
• The Sandford Principle means that if there is a conflict between development and protecting a National Park, conservation should take priority.
   
• South Downs National Park Authority has already warned that the scale of development is unlikely to avoid harm to the National Park’s setting.
  
• Local Plan Policy CP18 (Local Gaps) protects open land between settlements to stop places merging together.
   
  • Bushfield lies within the Winchester–Compton Local Gap, which helps keep the two communities separate.
     
• The scale of the proposed development could undermine this gap and change the open character of the area.
   
• NPPF Paragraph 139 also says development that is poorly designed or does not respect its surroundings should be refused.
   
• The site is close to important historic sites such as St Catherine’s Hill hillfort and the Hospital of St Cross.
   
• NPPF Paragraph 202 requires development to protect the setting of heritage assets.
   
• Large modern buildings could harm historic views across the landscape, reducing the ability to appreciate these heritage sites.
   

Bushfield sits in a very sensitive landscape between Winchester and the South Downs National Park.

The proposed development is large and highly visible, and planning policy gives strong protection to this landscape and to the setting of the National Park.