A HAMPSHIRE council could sell land to cover a £16m shortfall in its house building programme.

The current cost is about £36m, £16m more than budgeted for in February, due to Winchester City Council listing more schemes than it can afford.

But officers believe £9m of that will be covered by capital grants and developers’ contributions, leaving £7m outstanding, which could be covered by selling individual plots of land.

Several schemes were dropped including The Park, Droxford; Hobbs Close, Bishop’s Sutton; and Fivefields Road, Highcliffe, because they were not considered viable.

Meanwhile, the committee did approve the construction of new homes in Bourne Close, Otterbourne, and Station Close, Itchen Abbas.

Contractors F E Chase and Sons will carry out both schemes, building three three-bed homes in Otterbourne, and five homes in Itchen Abbas, three with three bedrooms and two with two.