PLANS to redevelop part of a hospital site used as a 'fight club' by youngsters are to go before councillors.

Developers want to build dozens of homes at Moorgreen Hospital in West End and convert some of its historic buildings into housing.

But residents fear the site will increase traffic, pressurise local services and have raised concern about whether this will open the door for further development on the hospital facilities.

Barratt Homes' plans for 121 homes, will involve demolishing buildings on the site, owned by the Homes and Communities Agency, but preserving and converting the locally listed former workhouse building and gatehouse buildings into housing.

As previously reported, the derelict site, off Botley Road, hit the headlines after police told how young people were trespassing and using it for organised fights and drinking.

Eleven residents have objected to the plans, highlighting the impact of extra traffic on Botley Road and on the proposed private drives for six homes off Moorgreen Road.

Some have questioned the need for a separate access road for the new development.

Residents' other concerns include the scale of the homes, in places three or four storeys high, the pressure on local infrastructure and the noise impact of current businesses on the new estate.

There was mixed reaction to the plans when they were unveiled at a public exhibition in the summer.

Though some welcomed action to improve the derelict site, others raised concern about concern about the future of health services on the site.

Some residents feared homes on this site could open the door to further development on the rest.

Eastleigh Borough Council's cabinet agreed a vision earlier this year of what it would consider acceptable development on the whole hospital site.

This suggested moving health services onto pasture land in the eastern part of the site, off Botley Road, called the Donkey Field clearing the way for up to 230 homes.

Eastleigh Southern Parishes Health Action Group has launched a campaign to protect and increase services at Moorgreen.

However, a spokeswoman for West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group has previously told the Daily Echo that there were no plans at the moment to sell the rest of the NHS-owned site for housing or relocate buildings and that it was actually looking at increasing services.

It is recommended for permission in the council officer's report, which says the development is in line with the council's vision for the site and it was sustainable.

It acknowledged that the development would have an impact, but it was "not severe" and could mitigated by conditions on the developer and were outweighed by the benefit of transforming the brownfield site, providing additional housing while retaining a part for healthcare.

Councillors on the Hedge End, West End and Botley Local Area Committee will debate the scheme at a meeting at the Hedge End 2000 Centre in St John's Road, Hedge End today at 7pm.