DEVELOPERS claim that their proposals for housing near a Hampshire village could create up to 950 jobs.

A consortium of developers and builders want to build 1,400 homes on a golf course near Boorley Green, in the Botley parish and a further 250 homes at Pylands Lane in Bursledon.

They said that, according to an independent report on the economic impact of the project, alongside new jobs, hundreds more will be working during its construction.

This comes after a protest march through Botley at the weekend involving around 600 hoping to persuade Eastleigh borough councillors to reject the proposals.

They will be discussed at council meetings on February 12 and February 18.

Campaigners argue that the 1,400 homes at Boorley Green will overwhelm the village, splitting it in two, cause traffic chaos and would not be sustainable.

They think any decision is premature as Eastleigh Borough Council’s Local Plan for housing over the next 17 years has yet to be rubber stamped by an independent inspector.

According to the report, up to 160 jobs would be created in education, childcare, retail and social care and 250 roles in new commercial areas.

 

Macdonald Botley Park Hotel, which will see significant expansions under the plans, will also create 27 full - time and 12 part-time jobs to service additional guestrooms and larger spa and leisure facilities.

The developers said the proposed developments would also bring important new social facilities and infrastructure to the borough.

If created, the sites will include properties designed for the elderly and affordable homes, easing Eastleigh’s housing waiting list, a spokesman said.

He added that a significant new road infrastructure would ease traffic flow, a new primary school would be built in Boorley Green along with walkways and cycle paths.

Other community facilities planned include sports pitches, children’s play areas, a nursery, allotments and community meeting rooms.

According to the report, the new development will be home to more than 2,000 “economically active” residents and, those living in the area will spend £40m a year, providing new trade opportunities for local services, shops and venues.

A spokesman for the developers said the report also looks at the South Hampshire Strategy, which proposes a guide to sustainable development and change up to 2026, including the need to deliver 8,050 homes in Eastleigh.

These projects would contribute 20 per cent of the target.

Martin Hawthorne, director at WYG Planning and Environment, the planning consultants for both sites, said: “This report highlights the significant economic benefits these developments would bring to Eastleigh, offering hundreds of opportunities in a range of sectors for job seekers at different stages of their careers.

“Investment of this kind that will help inject new dynamism and opportunity into the local economy.”