RESIDENTS are preparing to fight a scheme to build more than 1,000 homes on their doorstep.

Hallam Land Management has submitted a planning application for 1,100 houses on a 280-acre greenfield site between Peak Lane in Stubbington and Longfield Avenue in Fareham.

The plans for the site, known as Newlands, also include a new health centre, primary school, public open space, children’s play space, meadows and allotments.

The application was submitted in March 2016 but has been put ‘on hold’ say Fareham Borough Council while Hallam compile an environmental impact survey.

It is expected that a final decision will be made later this year.

Bill Hutchinson, chair of the Hillhead Residents Association, said: “The developers aren’t considering any strategic planning guidelines and have instead chosen to submit an application to fill a hole in the borough.

“We need to keep some green land in the borough else we will have a constant stream of houses stretching all the way from Southampton to Portsmouth.”

Another resident from Stubbington, who had lived in the village for more than 15 years but did not want to be named, said: “I live right near the proposed site and we certainly don’t need it here, not in Stubbington.

“One thousand homes will lead to increased traffic congestion which is already strained due to traffic flow through to the Gosport Peninsula not forgetting pressure on local schools.

Sean Woodward, the leader of Conservative-controlled Fareham Borough Council and Lib Dem Shaun Cunningham, who represents Portchester East on the council, agreed that the development was unsuitable for a strategic gap.

A spokesperson from Hallam Land Management said: “We are currently going through all of the comments residents have addressed.

“We are not sure when this process will be completed however we will inform all interested parties accordingly when this will happen.”

If the development is approved, construction would take approximately seven years to complete, say Hallam.

The current scheme is a revised version of a previous application, submitted in 2012, for 1,500 homes on the same site which was withdrawn in the face of fierce opposition from residents who feared the development would create traffic congestion and put pressure on local services.