DETERMINED villagers have drawn up a neighbourhood plan in a bid to protect their village from mass development.

Residents in Titchfield near Fareham have developed the plan to make sure they have a formal say on how development should be undertaken in their community, as thousands of new homes are due to be built in the borough over the coming years.

Ann Wheal, chair of the Titchfield Neighbourhood Forum, the group who developed the plan, said: “People told us that we should set up a group to deal with community development in the village and that’s when someone suggested setting up the Neighbourhood Forum.

“The neighbourhood plan reflects the views of the village and improves the lives of residents.

“It’s taken a long time but right now I feel a mixture of relief and delight.”

Neighbourhood planning is a right for communities introduced through the Localism Act 2011.

Communities can shape development in their areas through the production of neighbourhood development plans. While these cannot block development that is already part of the Local Plan, they can shape where that development will go and what it will look like.

Fareham Borough Council’s revised Local Plan says it needs to build 3,000 additional homes between now and 2036.

The forum, made up of 25 residents who either live or work in the village, has identified four key issues regarding development - traffic flow, play areas, population spread and the lack of social housing.

Councillor Sean Woodward, leader of FBC, said: “I applaud the people who worked hard in carrying out the neighbourhood plan work.

“Neighbourhood planning is about communities helping to shape development."