Basingstoke warehouse plans next to M3 refused

An artist's impression of the proposed warehouse at Dummer

Plans to build a large warehouse next to a motorway junction have been refused by councillors.

The site close to the M3's junction 7 for Dummer, near Basingstoke, would have been operated by supermarket Lidl.

A proposal for a warehouse on the same land was also turned down last year over concerns it would harm the area's landscape and environment.

However, the developer said the proposals were scaled down and the centre would create hundreds of jobs.

The site is agricultural land with a few existing farm buildings

The council's development control committee voted to refuse the application on Wednesday.

The authority said the decision was "based on the detrimental impact of the proposed development on the character and visual amenity of the landscape, including views across, to, within and out of settlements, and failure to mitigate these".

A council report had previously recommended the plans for approval and said "the public benefits outweigh the harm identified".

Campaigners also fought against the proposed building, arguing it was in contradiction to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's plan to make the area carbon neutral by 2030.