DEVELOPERS have appealed after their plans for housing in the countryside were turned down.

Developers want to build 37 homes, with access and parking, on a site next to The Navigator pub in Swanwick.

But planning was refused by Fareham Borough Council in March.

Now the proposal at the site, in Swanwick Lane, will be decided by a public inquiry in front of a Government-appointed inspector starting on December 9.

The hearing is likely to last at least three days.

Village Green PLC want to build a mixture of flats and detached, semi-detached and terraced houses in a cul-de-sac layout on the one hectare site, which is currently open fields.

They would also be providing 79 car parking spaces.

A total of 124 objections were sent to the council.

Residents have raised fears that the development would burden the already pressurised local infrastructure, making traffic worse and leading to flooding and drainage problems.

They are also concerned it will harm the character of the area, lead to a loss of green space and harm ecology and that insufficient car parking in the proposal will lead to overspill on surrounding roads.

Objectors also questioned the need for the development and claimed it would be out of character for the area.

A council officer recommended refusing the scheme because the site was in countryside, there was not a sufficient need for housing and it could be harmful to the space of the area.