PRIME Minister Boris Johnson has vowed to provide the “infrastructure necessary” to help carry out a local plan in Eastleigh to build 5,200 homes on “brownfield sites”.

This comes as the newly elected Conservative MP Paul Holmes, who has been a strong advocate against the “terrible” local plan, put the question to the Prime Minister during the first PMQ session of the year on January 8.

The question in Parliament read as followed: “My honourable friend has always been an advocate of localism, so what advice can he give my constituents who are concerned about the local Lib Dem council’s unwanted plan in Eastleigh, which would lead to even more overdevelopment without securing the vital infrastructure that Eastleigh needs?”

Boris Johnson replied: “Well, I’m not surprised of what was said about the cavalier behaviour of Lib Dem councils in Eastleigh. We will make sure that as far as we need to build many more homes, which we do, we will of course supply the infrastructure necessary and do it on brownfield sites.”

Eastleigh Borough Council’s local plan to build 5,200 new homes, shops, schools, open spaces and a new access road on land between Bishopstoke and Fair Oak has sparked controversy with residents and councillors alike, since being introduced in 2017.

Council leader Keith House, who previously stated the current local plan is “the only viable way” has praised Boris Johnson for committing to funding infrastructure in Eastleigh, but insisted there was no brownfield land in the borough to meet his government’s “tough housing targets”.

He said: “I am delighted that the Prime Minister has committed to funding infrastructure in Eastleigh. George Osborne made the same promise but then failed to come up with the cash. It’s no wonder we still have traffic chaos, day-in, day-out. But the Conservative leader is wrong to claim there is brownfield land in Eastleigh that can meet his government’s tough housing targets. There simply isn’t, and I’d be delighted to invite him down for him to show us where all this land is.”

Hundreds of people flocked to the Botleigh Grange Hotel to voice their concerns during the second day of the six-week examination period wherein the viability of the local plan is being assessed.

This is due to end on Wednesday, January 29.