City planners have deferred a decision on one of the most controversial applications in Winchester's history, saying they need more information.

Developers, Cala Homes, want to build 2,000 homes on 84 hectares at Barton Farm, north of the city.

But, at a meeting at the Guildhall on Wednesday, attended by hundreds of people, officers said an environmental statement accompanying the outline application did not provide enough information.

They recommended that a decision on the scheme should not be made until August. They want to see more details about the visual impact of the project, ecological and air quality, transport issues and affordable housing.

Frank Pearson, member for Swanmore and Newtown, said: "There are a lot of questions still unanswered."

The plans include a community centre, a supermarket and a 600-place primary school. The application proposes three vehicular access points, necessitating considerable alterations to existing roads and junctions.

The council said it had received 444 objections and seven letters of support for the application.

The land was identified in the local plan as a reserve site for a major development but objectors, including the county council's strategic planning team, said there was no need to release the land.

Gavin Blackman, chairman of the Save Barton Farm Group, said the plan was premature and that there had been no reserve allocation of Barton Farm and added that the scheme would be contrary to the planning process.

He said a development of that size would lead to unacceptable congestion and exacerbate pollution and pressure on the city's infrastructure.

"We feel that the problems of Barton Farm will strike a fatal blow to the city," he said.

Jan Cole, manager of Mountbatten Court, a sheltered housing complex for the elderly, in Andover Road, said she feared for the safety of residents crossing it during construction.

Ian Kingdon, of Abbott's Road, said: "The application fails on a number of points. It's premature; there's no compelling justification for releasing that land; it makes defective assumptions with regard to transport.

"It's another piecemeal addition to Winchester."

Grandmother, Vera Bruty, from the Save Barton Farm campaign, said: "I want to keep that green land for the next generation and future generations. I don't want their quality of life ruined."

Alex Trimmer, another member of the action group, warned that the area had been prone to flooding for many years and said the development should not be allowed for that reason alone.

Michael Emett, representing Cala Homes, said the development would deliver the numbers of new houses that the city desperately needed. "It will provide a new neighbourhood that will be largely self-sufficient rather than burdening the existing infrastructure," he said.

Committee members agreed to seek further information about affordable housing and the provision of green spaces.