WORK has started on building 640 homes in Harnham. 

The plans were given the green light in 2020, and were heavily criticsed. 

A total of 40 per cent of the new homes will be affordable housing.

As part of the development, Bovis Homes says it will spend more than £13million in the local community, including on education, the Salisbury Transport Strategy, a new doctors’ surgery and local air quality projects.

Eleanor Wills, the Conservative councillor for Harnham West, told the Journal: “We have to find local solutions that actually work to address the housing issue. As the newest local councillor for Harnham West, I want to engage and involve residents and bring concerns to the highest level.

"It was good to get round the table with John Glen MP, Cllr Richard Clewer, the leader of Wiltshire Council, and other Cabinet Members, recently, to talk about specific planning issues in Harnham West. There are tangible steps that can now be taken forwards which I’ll be focusing on and I think it’s the role of local councillors to open up the processes that we as residents need to be part of. Local people know their communities best."

Annie Riddle, Salisbury City Councillor for West Harnham, said: "As my residents in Harnham West would expect, I’ve spoken out against this hugely unpopular development on agricultural land at every opportunity because of its environmental and transport impact.

"Wiltshire Council flannelled its way through the planning process with bland assurances that its Salisbury Transport Strategy would reduce the impact of all the extra traffic on the Park Wall, Harnham Gyratory and Exeter St. junctions.

"As we now know, a cost-benefit analysis subsequently showed that their junction ‘improvements’ wouldn’t be effective and wouldn’t get government funding, and last year they were quietly dropped."

Cllr Riddle added that when she and other objectors raised this most recently, at Wiltshire’s strategic planning committee in October, they didn’t get any response.

"The point was simply ignored, as were Quidhampton parish council’s concerns over rat-running."

"The developers who stand to make zillions nitpick over whether they can ‘afford’ to build in decent quantities of bird, bee and bat boxes and hedgehog holes. It’s small change to them. It’s massive for wildlife. I’m disgusted by the whole business. One thing it isn’t is democratic."

Sven Hocking, Wiltshire councillor for Harnham East, added that he doesn't have a problem with the houses, but with the traffic congestion that will be generated.

He said: "[It is] the increase vehicle usage that causes the single greatest concern and I haven’t yet seen any plans that will mitigate the problem. There will ned to be some significant / radical changes to Harnham Gyratory and Exeter Street, that is the street, not so much the roundabout that will need addressing as a priority."

He does oppose the 106 houses to be built on the North side of the Netherhampton Road, "given the issues with building on flood plains". 

In the initial consultations with the developer, they had agreed to fund a walking/cycle route to link up with the broken bridges footpath given access to Churchfields, and into Middle Street (so onward to the Town Path, reducing the traffic impact).

Cllr Hocking said: "This turned into an 'aspiration' and has now been dropped completely so the only walking and cycling infrastructure that will be provided is a path along the front of the development and then dumps cyclist straight onto the main A3094 into Harnham until one is able to tun off into Upper Street. 

"Given walking and cycling are priorities around safely and air pollution, this is shockingly poor!"

Brian Dalton, Wiltshire councillor for Harnham West, has also been contacted for comment.