Consultation extended over 107 homes plan for St James Hospital in Portsmouth

Around 80 people have objected to the proposal at land owned by Homes England near St James’ Hospital in Milton, Portsmouth.

Extra objections have been published since The News reported on plans for the mix of three apartment blocks and family homes on Monday.

Councillors said more time should be given for residents to have their say — with two extra weeks now granted.

Darren Sanders, who asked for the extension with four other Lib Dem councillors, said publishing documents on Friday was ‘unacceptable’.

Cllr Sanders, who represents Baffins, said: ‘This is utterly unacceptable – this is an application in a sensitive site in the middle of the city. That’s why the five councillors who represent the area, or are most affected by St James’ Hospital, think you can’t treat people in this way.’

It’s unclear if the extra documents, including the ground investigation and environmental appendices were submitted earlier by Homes England and just submitted by the city council n Friday. The environmental report said ‘any significant adverse effects and any localised effects can either be designed out or mitigated’.

A separate document uploaded on Monday shows NHS Property Services and Solent NHS Trust both ‘support’ the 107-home plan.

Claire Upton-Brown, assistant director of city development at Portsmouth City Council, said: ‘It’s not unusual for more documents to be added to a planning application during the life of an application. As this case is of great interest to residents, and because there are so many documents, we’re more than happy to extend the consultation by another two weeks. The exact date will be on the application details online.’

Homes England was approached for comment.