Eight new homes could be built on the site of a vacant car dealership, despite providing fewer than half the required parking spaces.

The six three-bed and two four-bed properties are planned to replace the Mayfield Cars dealership in Archery Road in Woolston, Southampton.

In an effort to push greener transport, the applicant has laid out plans for one space per property.

The required number of spaces is two for a three-bedroom house and three for a four-bedroom house, meaning the development will have a 10-space shortfall.

Residents are worried that this shortfall will spill out onto the surrounding roads.

The plans state a double yellow line will be painted along the entire frontage of the 0.16 hectare site.

Residents say this will ‘only relocate the issue’ and the neighbouring Bevan Close and Ticonderoga Gardens will become ‘overwhelmed’.

Adding the double yellow will prevent everybody parking on the stretch of Archery Road, not just the potential 10-car spillage – resulting in even more parking demand for the neighbouring roads.

One worried resident said: “There is a massive lack of off-road parking for each property – one space per house is not enough. Most families have at least two cars.

“When the property I live in was built by Wimpey Homes they were told they had to ensure space for two off-road vehicles for each property on Archery Road.”

Southampton City Council planning officers responded to the 16 objections by saying that ‘some parking overspill may occur’ but it can be ‘absorbed’ by neighbouring streets.

“The 2021 census data in Southampton for car ownership levels on a ward by ward basis is not yet published, but in 2011 29.5 per cent of households in Woolston had no vehicle, 45.2 per cent had access to a single car, and 25.4 per cent of households had access to two or more vehicles.

“So whilst it is unlikely that residents of every dwelling will have two or more cars, it is recognised that some parking overspill may occur.

“In accordance with the Parking Standards SPD the applicant has also undertaken a parking survey (on Wednesday, October  12 and Thursday, October 13, 2022) to assess the capacity of kerbside parking of streets within 200m of the site including Archery Road, Ticonderoga Gardens and Bevan Close.

“The parking survey results shows that the 10-space shortfall (when assessed against maximum standards) can be adequately absorbed by the street parking available in these nearby streets without detriment to the local residents by displacing existing parking.”

In a report produced by the planning officers it states that this will also ‘take into account’ the overspill caused from the new double yellow on Archery Road, but doesn’t explain how.

Despite the parking survey, which includes detailed maps of local parking space demand, many residents are still not sold on the idea.

One leading cause for their concern is the fact that the parking statistics for Woolston are 12 years out of date.

The planning and right of way panel will meet next Tuesday (March 14) to decide on the application.

Subject to a handful of amendments and a traffic regulation order (TRO) to install the double yellow line, the application is recommended for approval.