CIVIC chiefs are examing updated plans to build 271 homes on arable farmland on the edge of Totton.
Bloor Homes and Barker-Mills Estates are seeing consent to develop a 17.5-hectare site north of the A36 Salisbury Road at Calmore.
An outline application was approved by New Forest District Council earlier this year.
Now the authority has received a more detailed proposal, which will also have to be given the go-ahead before work can start.
Almost 180 of the proposed new homes will be sold on the open market, but the other 95 will be affordable properties available to either rent or buy.
The scheme also includes public open spaces, road improvements, and an Alternative Natural Recreational Greenspace (ANRG).
READ MORE: Flurry of objections over plan for 196 homes at Calmore
A letter accompanying the application says: "The site currently comprises mostly arable farmland and is populated by existing trees, hedgerows and a small woodland known as Hatton's Plantation.
"The site will be accessible initially at two locations on the A36.
"The proposals include measures to protect and enhance the existing biodiversity and habitats within the site such as green corridors.
"Extensive hedgerow, tree and other vegetation, as well as measures to manage access through Hatton's Plantation are also proposed."
Plans to build homes on land north of the A36 were backed by district councillors in 2021, despite several objections to the proposal.
In a letter to the authority Matthew Simpson said: "Access to the proposed site is dangerously positioned on an already high-risk road with a history of fatal and grievous accidents. Schools in Calmore and Totton are at full capacity."
Mr Simpson said pollution levels in the town centre were already above the national average and claimed the proposed development will put nearby residents at risk of respiratory disease.
But other people wrote to the council to support the scheme.
Susan Compton said: "New and affordable housing is in very short supply and I welcome this development, which will enable our young people to remain in the area. Local infant schools do have spare capacity, with land available to expand if needed."
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A report to councillors said the scheme would deliver much-needed housing.
Some members criticised the size and location of the proposed development, but others said there was often no alternative to building on green spaces.
As reported in the Daily Echo, several other applicants have also submitted plans to build new homes in the Calmore area.
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