Planning chiefs have approved more than 100 new homes in Fareham despite objections over drainage, design of buildings and Japanese knotweed.

Fareham Borough Council’s planning committee approved the application for 119 homes on land south of Funtley Road, Funtley, despite 21 letters of objection including The Fareham Society and Hampshire Swifts.

These included concerns over pollution, destruction of habitat and impact on wildlife, impact on the bus route, general drainage concerns and flooding of Funtley Road, invasive Japanese Knotweed issues on the site, concerns about the proposed palette of materials and the lack of solar panels.

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The 119 homes are a mixture of 1.5-storey and two-storey houses and flats ranging from detached and semi-detached to terraced in a landscaped environment, with drainage swales and ponds that capture rainwater during the winter months.

The site is situated north of a country park where Southern boundary swales are designed to manage any water run off from the park.

The Planning Inspector ordered a surface water drainage strategy to be made before the application could be approved.

Councillor Pamela Bryant (Con, Uplands and Funtley), as an objector on behalf of several residents, said: “I am here over concerns of surface water, drainage and flooding in this area for as long as I can remember.”

She said there were fears over foul water and “the swales and ponds identified will not be sufficient especially when the ground can take no more water and there is still heavy rainfall coming”.

She added that residents in Roebuck Avenue are living with ongoing sewer issues and cannot open their windows or enjoy their gardens because of foul smells from Fallow Close, which is only a 21-home development.

Councillor Ian Bastable (Con, Park Gate) asked the council officers to write to the regulator to ensure Southern Water was fulfilling its statutory duties.

The homes will be built in brick and timber cladding, with pitched gabled roofs and flat-roofed dormers, bay windows and porches.

Cllr Bastable said although he did not like the design detail of the fascia colour and brick colour with the lack of solar panels, there was a lot he liked about the application including the distribution of affordable housing through the site.

Planning committee members approved the appearance, landscaping, open spaces and gardens, layout and scale of the 119 homes. One was against and seven were in favour.

Reside Developments Ltd has planning permission for up to 125 homes. There are a further six plots and a separate space for a community building to be approved at a later stage.