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DOZENS of villagers attended a public exhibition on a controversial scheme for a log cabin holiday village in woods near Micheldever Station.

Developer Forest Holidays invited people to comment on its proposals for between 100 and 150 holiday-letting cabins in Black Wood.

The company, a joint venture between the Camping and Caravanning Club and Forestry Commission, plans to submit a planning application to Winchester City Council after an environmental impact assessment report.

The land is owned by the Forestry Commission and is currently managed as a commercial woodland with informal recreation use.

Richard Palmer, director of Forest Holidays, said: "We invited more than 900 local residents to the exhibition and were pleased about 85 took the opportunity to come and talk to us over the course of the three-day event.

"The team on hand were able to discuss individual concerns and on balance about 80 per cent of those who visited were positive about our proposals."

He added: "Forest Holiday cabin sites are quite simple, designed to give holidaymakers the opportunity to spend time relaxing in their cabins, discover the forest for themselves or through our forest ranger education programmes or to enjoy everything rural Hampshire has to offer.

"We identified Black Wood as a possible site because it is accessible in a way which contributes to it being a year-round short break destination. It's well connected by rail and road networks and was identified by the Forestry Commission as having the potential for additional leisure activity."

But Micheldever Parish Council is opposed to the proposals.

Chairman William Helen said: "It is a very big scheme for a very small section of woodland. The number of chalets is nearly equal to a quarter of the parish which is crazy."

Mr Helen said the parish council was also concerned about access from the A33 along Larkwhistle Farm Road and wanted more detail about the proposed recreational facilities, for example if there would be a swimming pool.

Douglas Bell, a Micheldever Station resident, said between 100 and 150 chalets could mean about 400 holidaymakers on the site.

He said: "The people it is going to draw in will have to go further afield because there is little for them to do. A 15 minute walk around a little woodland is not going to make much of a holiday attraction."

Mr Bell, a conservationist, said insurance giant Eagle Star's proposals for a market town at Micheldever, recently rejected by Government, was a "threat constantly hanging over us here."

The conservationist said: "The general feeling is that the chalets would not be beneficial for the wood or local area and it could lead to more development although others say if something has to be built here sooner or later it may as well be this."

But he added: "The majority who have something to say about this really don't think it is a good idea."

*What do you think? Add your comments below.

12:59pm Wednesday 9th July 2008

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