A FAMILY business spanning six decades is to make way for new housing in an area already being dubbed 'flatsville'.

Richard Bastin, the owner of clothes shop Bastin's, has told how he has seen Botley Road in Park Gate slowly turn from a thriving concourse of shops into a sea of residential development.

Mr Bastin, 59, will retire in June and hand the keys to the business to developers who hope to build flats on the site, but are also negotiating with planners over some possible retail use.

The shop will relocate to Fareham's West Street under the guardianship of Mr Bastin's nephew Graham Puddephatt.

Mr Bastin, who lived above the shop during his childhood and took over the reins from his father 30 years ago, has mixed feelings over the sale.

He said: "Although I should have enough to retire five years early, I think there is a rush to build houses in the area, but they are needed."

Mr Bastin told the Daily Echo of the changes he had witnessed over the years.

"It's quite a bit different now, people didn't have so many cars for one.

"There used to be shops all down Botley Road. I remember there was a small sweet shop - Goodwins, another haberdashers and a greengrocers who used to sell fruit and veg from an old railway carriage.

Fareham's housing chief, Councillor Ernest Crouch, said: "We have an agenda from John Prescott to provide affordable housing for the borough, and we are set to meet our obligations for the plans."

Residents and councillors fear a planning crisis is looming with roads, schools, doctors and dentists in Park Gate overstretched with a lack of open spaces.

Fareham councillor Peter Davies described the area as 'flatsville' when speaking of his concerns over plans for two other developments.

Council leader Sean Woodward and Fareham MP Mark Hoban have challenged the government's planning minister Keith Hill MP over a lack of local influence on planning decisions, referring to Park Gate.