AN application for a lawful development certificate for existing storage of building materials and the siting of two containers at the old sewage disposal works in Passfield received strong objections from the parish council.

Councillors objected to the plans on the basis the evidence provided is insufficient to prove the containers have been in continuous use on this site for a period of over ten years.

Headley Parish Council, which has also been consulted, objected because councillors were concerned about the means of access to this site along a narrow residential lane, which adjoins the River Wey Conservation area and is bordered by a public footpath.

They also felt there is a likelihood of proliferation of containers on the site in the future and the possibility of contamination encroaching into the River Wey itself.

In addition, Headley Parish Council stated the site had been subject to several planning enforcements in the past and due to discrepancies in the evidence provided in the application, it did not believe the criteria had been met for a lawful development certificate.

Last August, proposals for the construction and operation of a power generation plant and ancillary equipment on vacant land at the site received no support from residents or members of Bramshott and Liphook Parish Council’s planning committee.

It was rejected by officers at East Hampshire District Council, who will make the decision on the current application in the next few months.