A STORM of protest has greeted plans to build industrial units and up to 150 homes on a greenfield site in a Hampshire village.

An application to redevelop a 12.3-hectare site at Cork's Farm, Marchwood, has sparked more than 90 objections from people living in the area.

The scheme was also criticised at a parish council meeting attended by about 100 villagers.

Speaking after the debate former parish council chairman Richard Young said: "As it stands, this application is absolutely unacceptable to our community.

"It was very humbling at the conclusion of the meeting for my colleagues and I to receive a round of applause from members of the public."

The applicant, Oceanic Galaxy, says the scheme will provide 3.19 hectares of employment land, more than five hectares of amenity space and a large number of new homes - many of which will be affordable.

But objectors claim the scheme will create extra traffic problems as well as resulting in the loss of a greenfield site. They also fear the proposed development will cause flooding problems.

Diane King is one of the Marchwood residents who is urging New Forest District Council to refuse the application.

Her letter of objection says: "The village already suffers heavily from excessive amounts of traffic, particularly HGVs causing noise, pollution and damage to the road."

Fellow protester Claire Metcalfe adds: "This is a village that had absorbed a industrial development. Now is the time to stop."

The industrial element of the scheme has also come under fire from Marchwood county councillor David Harrison.

He described the shortage of affordable housing in the New Forest as "scandalous" and said a development that aimed to address the issue should be broadly welcomed.

But he added: "One thing Marchwood does not need is more industrial units occupying precious green land."

Oceanic's application says the size of the scheme represents a "relatively small increase" in the urban part of Marchwood.

The application describes the industrial units as a suitable form of development "given the proximity of various industrial uses to the west of the site".

It adds: "The proposals illustrate how employment land can be provided in an accessible and sustainable location which has little impact on residential land.

"A clear advantage of these proposals is the employment land is located within the Marchwood settlement boundary and crucially the site benefits from the substantial capacity in the existing road infrastructure.

"Locating jobs closer to homes is seen as one way to tackle long commutes, the resulting carbon emissions and impact on regional road infrastructure."