A DEVELOPER has come under fire for not building on land earmarked for new homes in the heart of Romsey.

Poole-based Stanborough Developments was given planning permission for more than 200 homes at the former Strong’s Brewery site in Romsey.

Despite attempts by Test Valley Borough Council to try and get the developer John Stanborough to build the homes, the seven acre site has remained largely derelict since the brewery shut down in the 1980s.

Now the borough’s Romsey Abbey ward councillor is asking for answers to why the site in Station Road has not been developed since planning permission was approved for 207 homes in the 1990s. The only part of the site where any development has been carried out was the transformation of the brewery’s former malthouse into 44 flats.

An angry Mr Collier said: “Stanborough’s failure to continue to develop the site has meant Test Valley has struggled to meet the government’s target of providing five years worth of land available to build homes.”

Mr Collier added: “This has meant developers have been free to make applications on other sites on the basis that houses are not being built quickly enough. As a consequence one developer’s tardiness has opened the door to other developer’s speculative and unacceptable applications. Developers are able to use the system to manipulate the figures to their own commercial advantage and to the detriment of our local community. ”

He and others, including Romsey’s Tadburn ward borough councillor, have even looked into the possibility of the authority compulsory purchasing the site in a bid to ensure houses are built on the brownfield site.

Mr Collier pointed out that Test Valley Borough Council has taken professional legal advice on this.

“The advice was that the chance of success would be minimal and that there would be a strong risk of the defendant’s court costs being awarded against the council.

"In light of this advice TVBC has decided at this time not to proceed with a CPO,” said Mr Collier who is chairman of the borough’s planning control committee, which has recently had to make decisions on whether controversial housing schemes on greenfields could go ahead.

Mr Collier added: “There are few enough brown field sites for housing development in our area. The brewery site is our largest and offers a fantastic opportunity to provide much needed housing for local people.

"Stanborough Development’s decision to ‘land bank’ the site is depriving our community of the housing it needs and at the same time opening the door to inappropriate development elsewhere.”

Borough leader Ian Carr said the chances of a getting a CPO are not great.

Mr Carr said: “The last time we took Counsels advice we were told that there was very little chance of getting a CPO. I doubt that much has changed.”

Stanborough Developments was asked for a comment but at the time of going to press the company had not responded.