A NEW 980-home community is to be built in the heart of the Hampshire countryside after district planning chiefs gave proposals the go-ahead.

Submitted by Hampshire County Council, the plans also include a 7-form entry secondary school, with the homes spread out over two sites – west of Woodhouse Lane in Hedge End, and north of Winchester Street in Botley.

Both owned by the authority, the sites have been identified for future housing development in Eastleigh Borough Council’s draft Local Plan.

The county council says that the school – on the Woodhouse Lane site – will be the first element to be developed, ready to provide additional school places before the development of the new housing. It could initially accommodate 1,050 pupils, but would have the potential for later expansion to a 9-form school.

They also confirmed that 35% of the estate will be affordable housing.

Councillor Roy Perry, leader of Hampshire County Council, said: “It is good that Eastleigh Borough Council has agreed outline planning permission be granted for these applications subject to conditions such as the community use of the new school.

“This means we can now firmly commit the funding to the Botley bypass, having also clarified that the Government contribution to the funding will be available as a grant and not as a loan.

“We recognise the pressures on the planning authorities such as Eastleigh Borough to allow for much needed housing and we do have a duty to co-operate, but all along we have been determined there must be the roads and the schools as well as other infrastructure to cope with extra development. Botley will soon have a new bypass and a brand new secondary school to meet its needs.”

Approved by Eastleigh Borough Council, plans detailed that the Winchester Street site will have 375 homes built, along with public open space and allotments, while the Woodhouse Lane scheme will house up to 605 homes, a local centre with up to 1,000 square metres space, and sports pitches.

As previously reported, countryside preservation charity, CPRE Hampshire, backed the plans – providing they provide the affordable home promised.

“We always regret the loss of any greenfield site, and we are campaigning for better protection for our countryside,” said the charity.

“However these planning applications near Botley do actually deliver a significant proportion of affordable housing for local people’s needs.”

The charity added: “We are campaigning to establish a South Hampshire Green Belt to legally protect green spaces and help prevent urban sprawl, something which may protect similar sites from proposed development in the future.”