COUNCILLORS have approved plans for nearly 50 homes in the Hampshire countryside.

Developers want to build 46 homes on grazing and pasture land to the north of Mortimers Lane in Fair Oak. They will be a mixture of one, two, three and four-bedroom homes.

Following several rounds of consultation, developers reduced the number of houses from 62 and reducedthe open space so that the site was more in keeping with the outline plans in the new Eastleigh Local Plan, which allocates sites for future development.

Plans include 35 per cent of affordable housing, a play area and landscaping.

Twenty objections pointed to concerns over the level of development, increased traffic and drainage problems, highway safety and the effect on existing properties.