Around 100,000 homes in the offing as '˜Solent City' moves closer to reality

The Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) – made up of local council leaders – has identified a total of 106,500 new homes across the Hampshire coastal belt from Portsmouth to Southampton.

Many of the big housing developments have already been agreed or are being built, including 3,000 homes to the west of Waterlooville, 700 at Hazelton Farm, Horndean, and 6,000 at Welborne, near Fareham.

It will now be up to local councils to decide which remaining areas can be built on.

The housing targets for each area to 2036 are: Fareham East (7,625); Fareham West (2,875); Gosport (8,375); Havant (11,250); Portsmouth (18,500); East Hampshire southern parishes (1,750); and Winchester district bordering the Portsmouth area (1,500).

Councillor Sean Woodward, Fareham council leader and chairman of PUSH, has said the challenge will be to fit all the houses in.

Earlier this year Cllr Donna Jones said she had ‘massive concerns’ about infrastructure and the fact that Queen Alexandra Hospital was at breaking point and roads were heavily-congested.

At the time she said the government needed to take a ‘reality check’ when imposing housing targets.

Gosport’s leader Mark Hook has said his borough would take on only another 560 homes, on top of the 6,030 already in its plan up to 2029, as it was ‘full up’.

He has said the land should be prioritised for providing jobs.

Every planning application that comes forward will be considered on its merits by individual authorities. If refused, developers have the option of appealing.