Councillors have thrown their support behind plans to build 126 new homes at Warsash, Fareham - but have asked for more bird boxes.

Full planning permission has been granted for 113 houses at Land East of Brook Lane with access from Brook Lane to the south of the development and parking, landscaping and open spaces.

A further 13 self-built houses have received the initial go-ahead, with outline planning having been granted vehicular access from the area to the south known as Rivercross.

Details of exactly what the houses will look like still need to be applied for.

The developers Bargate Homes and Vivid Housing said they will build 65 homes within the first two phases of the scheme and provide 10 self-build plots. Plans also include 51 plots for 40 per cent affordable housing; 28 homes for affordable rent; 15 for shared ownership, five for social rent and three discounted market value self-built plots.

To mitigate the disturbance to ecology the developers will put in a swift brick and bat box to at least 20 per cent of the houses.

But the council have now asked for at least half of the houses to have the special bricks for the birds to nest in.

Councillor Paul Nother (Lib Dem, Porchester East) asked why every house couldn’t have a swift brick but according to council officers, it is not policy.

Councillor Michael Ford (Con, Warash) said: “The current Bargate Homes plan has a lot to commend it. I’d invite you to go along Brook Lane just stand at the entrance and look in.

“We’ve got wide-ish roads, road, footpath, grass, and a front door, nicely spread out. If this is going to be similar to the Rivercross development, it has a lot to commend it. It’s nicely laid out.”

The houses will be a mix of two and two-and-half storeys, with between one and four bedrooms, and developers said the design is a mix of traditional and contemporary. 

The plain red stock bricks will be used together with blended or multi-stock bricks, and vertical faux slate hanging and render will also be used on feature plots.

Roof tiles will vary throughout the estate, plain tiles being the most common roof covering on the more traditional-looking homes.

A contemporary version is proposed using brown, red or red/brown colours and other slate tiles. 

Windows will have reconstituted stone for window heads, with a projecting string course detail at first-floor level.