PEOPLE in Ashurst have vowed to fight plans for a major social housing development at the heart of their community.

About 50 people held an emergency protest meeting at a local pub last night, despite being given just a few days' warning.

Kingfisher Housing Association wants to demolish two pairs of railway cottages, believed to date back to the 1850s, and replace them with affordable housing.

Five terraced houses and a two-storey and three-storey block of flats would be built on the site next to the New Forest Hotel and Ashurst Station in Lyndhurst Road.

Villagers are furious because they say at least 47 people will be crammed into the development, which will be out of keeping with the area and located next to the busy A35 road, railway station and pub.

Eric Bashford, retired, of Busketts Way, said: "There's a danger waiting to happen. The cottages - yes, they want renovating, but we should look very, very carefully at these proposals on safety apart from anything else."

People packed the conservatory of The New Forest Hotel after a small group of residents leafleted houses when they found out about the plan just days ago.

Residents at the meeting agreed that they were not opposed to a social housing development in the village, just to the scale of the proposed plan

Rosemary McKay, an interior designer, of Woodlands Road, said: "It's too small a space for all those people.

"It would be much better for the people living there to have their own amenities and outside areas within the development, otherwise they will have nowhere to go."

Villagers are angry that previous plans to refurbish the existing cottages and build another pair in a similar style have been withdrawn.

Mark Page, a general manager, of Peterscroft Avenue, said: "Kingfisher have put up a lot of smoke and mirrors here for some time. They don't give a monkey's about who is going to go in there. This is economic and they just want a return on their money."

Villagers pledged to write as many objection letters to the New Forest District Council as possible.

To add your voice, write to Mr A Huggett at the New Forest District Council planning department by February 26. Quote reference: 83694.