Developers Croudace Homes Ltd and Highwood Strategic Land have put forward proposals for an additional 3,400 homes on green fields to the north east of Horton Heath, stoking further debate about the future of rural land in Hampshire. This new scheme would come on top of the 2,500 homes already being constructed less than a mile away to the south, as part of Eastleigh Borough Council’s One Horton Heath development.
If approved, the new project would cover approximately 115 hectares of countryside, introducing not just homes but a new primary school, a local centre, a mobility hub, and what the developers describe as “improved transport links.” Eastleigh Borough Council has been formally approached by the developers to determine if the project requires a full environmental impact assessment. An informal consultation on the proposal ran quietly over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
The flurry of development comes as national arguments over green belt protections ramp up.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer recently told Sky News he would “back the builders not blockers,” promising to build more homes, even on green belt land, and to revive mandatory housing targets. Asked whether he understood the concerns of rural communities worried about the countryside being “concreted over,” Starmer said he wanted to protect the countryside but was “prepared to make tough choices.”
Meanwhile, the Conservatives have doubled down on their promise to protect rural England, setting up a clear dividing line ahead of the next General Election. Conservative critics say Labour’s approach would put huge swathes of countryside at risk. “The Labour Party cannot be trusted to protect our green belt and countryside,” one local Conservative spokesperson said.
With thousands of new homes already rising near Horton Heath, the latest proposal puts renewed pressure on Eastleigh Borough Council and local residents to weigh the need for housing against the loss of green space.
