TODAY is D-Day for controversial plans to build homes on a school's playing fields in the heart of an Eastleigh housing estate.

Hampshire County Council wants to sell off the land to developers and plough the cash into a multi-million pound makeover for Nightingale Primary School which serves the Aviary estate.

Tonight, Eastleigh councillors are being recommended to give outline planning approval to build 32 homes on the site off Chestnut Avenue.

Various conditions tied into the planning agreement would cover highway improvements, a management plan for the woodland and developers' contributions towards providing social and recreational facilities. The scheme would also include affordable housing to help make inroads into the borough's housing waiting list.

The move to build on the playing fields has already caused a storm of protest.

Parents fear that the loss of land will mean their children would lose valuable sports facilities.

And there is also growing concern that it will open the floodgates for more development and add more cars to an already congested area.

Mother-of-three Dawn Moody, 41, whose Blackbird Road home is near the school, said she was shocked when she saw that the housing development plans would include a footpath running alongside her house. She said: "I am concerned that this path will be used day and night and youths will be able to congregate and ride mopeds along it."

Kath Woodley, 68, who has lived in her Nightingale Avenue home for about 30 years, said: "My grandson is at the school and I am all for modernising it but I am against selling off school land to pay for it."

The Aviary Residents' Associated has formally protested over the plans, saying they should be kicked out because the current roads cannot take extra traffic and it would overload the current sewer system.

Members also claim that the new houses will interrupt the view and privacy of existing homes. Residents also say that the proposed development will be out of character with The Aviary Estate.

But in a report to the Eastleigh Local Area Committee, planners say that the site is close to local shops and other amenities. There is also good transport links to Eastleigh town centre and neighbouring areas.

Planning officer Steve Nangreave says: "There are still a large number of people requiring family size accommodation and this development would help to meet this need."