Test Valley Borough Council is being urged to make John Stanborough begin building 207 homes on the old Strong's Brewery site in Romsey

Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) is being urged to make John Stanborough, owner of the old Strong’s Brewery site in Romsey, start building the 207 homes he was given permission to put up in the 1990s.

Some are even calling on the council to compulsory purchase the seven-acre site – left largely derelict since Whitbread closed the brewery in the 1980s.

Dorset-based Stanborough bought the site and promised to redevelop it.

However, the only work that has been done on the site off Station Road is the conversion of the old Malthouse into 44 flats and the construction of a handful of houses at the Malmesbury Road end of the site.

Borough councillor, Mark Cooper, said: “At present the only recourse a council has is to threaten a compulsory purchase order (CPO). The land is then sold on to a developer, who will develop the site.

“I have asked TVBC to progress a CPO on two previous occasions. The first time brought forward what was eventually the successful planning application and the second time the council advised that it would be inappropriate to pursue a CPO when the house building sector was subject to a deep recession as it was post 2008.”

He claimed it was “not economically beneficial” for Romsey to have what he described as a “seven-acre hole” near the town centre.

Borough leader, Ian Carr, confirmed that Mr Cooper had raised the issue with him and the council will be asked to look at it again.

But he said: “The last time we took counsel’s advice we were told that there was very little chance of getting a CPO. I doubt that much has changed.”

And a statement issued by the authority said: “Many residents told us they are frustrated with the lack of development on the former brewery site. The council shares this frustration and has been in touch with the developers to encourage them to build more quickly.

“We will continue to review the position and give full conservation to the options available to us to help move things forward.”

Cllr Mark Cooper

Romsey Dental Care is almost opposite the site. Owner, Samantha Price, said: “The site has lain unused for three decades despite there being a planning permission for hundreds of homes, including affordable ones.

“I overlook the site from my surgery and over the last 19 years I’ve been in Romsey, all I have seen by way of activity is a few diggers every few years – presumable when the planning application is about to expire.”

Stanborough Developments were asked to comment but did not respond.