A HAMPSHIRE council has bought a site in Hedge End to stop it being turned into flats.

The former Budgens shop on Upper Northam Road has been bought by Eastleigh council for an “undisclosed sum”.

Council leader Keith House has claimed developers were “vexatious and hostile” when applying for planning applications to turn the site into dozens of flats.

The controversial plans to turn the former supermarket into 77 flats were thrown out – but developers Hedge End Holdings later resubmitted plans to build 93 flats in total.

Town bosses described the plans as a “monstrosity” – while residents raised concerns about the impact on parking, traffic, infrastructure and the character of the town.

Cllr House said he could not confirm how much public money had been spent but he “believed it to be a commercially viable sum”.

He said: “Our policy is to release this level of information when a project is complete. But it won’t result in council tax going up or services being cut, and protects a key retail site for retail use. They were vexatious and hostile. We took the view that although the application went to appeal it was better to take control of the site."

Paul Kesterton, director of Hedge End Holdings, said: “The politicians wanted one thing and the planners wanted another. The difference between 77 flats and 93 was reflected in the number of one and two-bed units. That planning policy is only going to get more stringent – if that makes me vexatious and hostile then I can only apologise.”