Fareham MP Suella Braverman and Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage may write to government to oppose 1,250-home plan for Longfield Avenue

The proposal for the housing development on land south of Longfield Avenue in Fareham has raised fears amongst residents, councillors and MPs.

Residents shared their views with Fareham MP Suella Braverman and Gosport representative Caroline Dinenage during a public event last week, with most people there opposed to the development.

In her opening remarks, Ms Dinenage said: ‘I’m so worried about the erosion of the strategic gap between our settlements.

‘Gosport is an area with challenges, Gosport has less than half a job per working adult which is why 20,000 people have to out-commute every day.

‘Gosport has significant pockets of deprivation so there aren’t always high-paying jobs - we’re the largest town in the UK without a railway.’

Mrs Braverman added: ‘The land south of Longfield Avenue is an important area of countryside, it acts as a practical and visible and physical junction between Fareham and Stubbington.

‘That countryside is irreplaceable - if we take away that cherished green area it will deteriorate community standards of living and will remove the strategic gap.’

MPs and local councillors said ‘geriatric’ data used to determine regional housing targets was why this development is being considered.

Councillor Katrina Trott said: ‘Cross-party I do not think there are any Fareham borough councillors that want this development, they don't want the iniquitous numbers that are being forced upon us by the government.’

Ms Dinenage added: ‘‘This hasn’t been helped by the national planning policy framework which puts out these really unreasonable housing numbers which in actual fact don’t reflect projected housing need.

‘They’re based upon old housing numbers rather than recent ones which I know has been a frustration for Fareham’s housing committee.

‘‘I’m working with government ministers to try and push the housing target to be based on an up-to-date figure.’

In a call to action, Mrs Braverman finished by saying she could consult the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Greg Clark.

She said: ‘We’ll see if we can put that request into action, it might not be as successful as previous attempts because the local plan wasn’t as definitive. But that doesn’t stop us from asking.’