A new country park that will be part of the former Bursledon Car Boot site will be called Windhover Meadows.
The new parkland area will be 10.5 hectares in size and include a mix of public open space areas, play equipment, new footpaths and improvement to existing public rights of way. The existing grass fields will be managed to improve this habitat for wildlife. This will include mown paths through these fields offering a variety of walking routes with specimen trees and benches. New woodland planting along the existing copse and stream will improve this area as a wildlife haven. Existing trees and hedgerows will be kept to provide a network of ‘green’ links around the perimeter of the site.
The Windhover Meadows site will also help to secure the green gap between Bursledon and Southampton.
Chair of Bursledon, Hamble & Hound Local Area Committee Cllr Tonia Craig, said: “The name Windhover Meadows reflects the nature of the site and the link to the nearby Windhover roundabout. This exciting scheme to provide a new parkland area has been made possible by the Council’s investment in the site that secures the green gap for local people and will also provide with a mix of new homes for sale, private rent and affordable rent, aiming to meet local housing needs”
Other community facilities will include a children’s play area together with a tarmac area for sports such as football or basketball. A natural play trail will also be located along the edge of the open space.
A key part of the new development is a new road that will access the Taylor Wimpey housing site from Bursledon Road. This will mean that residents of this, and the new development on the car boot sale site, will only use this new road and not Hamble Lane to access the site.