Plan for 10,000 homes will be major issue for Fareham elections

Work on the 10,000 homes in the north of Fareham is due to start next year and yet many fear there will not be enough schools, doctor’s surgeries or shops to support the massive development.

Residents are demanding these vital issues are dealt with before the first brick is laid and do not want to see the same mistakes made that have hampered the nearby Whiteley new town project.

The new 10,000-home scheme brought concerns over traffic with experts warning of increased smog engulfing the countryside and motorists complaining local roads would not be able to cope with such a massive increase in vehicles.

The development, which is part of the South-East Plan, is an attempt to tackle the region’s housing crisis.

This is part of a Westminster plan to put up 83,000 new homes in south Hampshire by 2026.

General concerns over roads, tax and schools also remain high on the agenda for voters while fears over the impact of other future developments have lessened as many plans have been shelved due to the recession.

The three main parties are fielding candidates in all six Fareham wards.

The Green Party, The English Democrats, UK Independence Party and the British Nationalist Party will be among those hoping to poach votes from the Liberal Democrats, Tories and Labour.

While the current outcry over MPs’ expenses – including neighbouring Gosport’s Sir Peter Viggers and his infamous £1,600 claim for a duck island for his garden pond – is sure to provoke a protest vote for smaller parties in the European elections on the same day, it is unclear how much of a factor that will be when voters come to choose their county councillors.