Councillors say they're 'uncomfortable' at government housing targets as they approve new development in Whiteley

Fareham Borough Council granted planning permission for 32 homes to be built on land south of Rookery Ave north of the M27 due to the council’s five-year land supply position.

Currently, the authority can demonstrate 4.31 years of housing, which makes it difficult for the council to refuse new homes being built.

Councillor Michael Ford said: ‘If we refuse this inevitably it will go to appeal and the planning inspector will then say you haven’t got a five-year housing land supply.

‘Just seems very difficult to find a plausible reason to refuse, I feel slightly uncomfortable about it.’

Cllr Connie Hockley added: ‘I’m not really comfortable I've got to say – we make decisions with our hands tied behind our back.

‘We just don’t have the freedom these days to do what we want – we might get a five-year land supply but that figure changes by the month and by the week.

‘Of course, we can’t keep being told to build more and more houses – I'm a bit fed up with it all.

Cllr Ian Walker, chairman of the planning committee, said: ‘We could ever have a five-year land supply, it just goes on and the numbers increase all the time, I think it’s been engineered that way.'

Whiteley residents previously raised fears over the plan's ecological impact on ancient woodland and traffic congestion.

Katherine Richards representing Foreman Homes, the developers addressed local concerns in her deputation.

‘Since the application was submitted the scheme has evolved taking into consideration the concerns and comments raised throughout the consultation period,' she said.

‘Main changes have been the removal of the proposed car park and a reduction in housing numbers from 36 to 32.

‘The site has been put forward as an allocation in the emerging local plan and as such residential development is acceptable in principle.’

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