RESIDENTS of a New Forest village are fighting a property development over fears it would turn an already busy school road into a death-trap.

Parents have said the plans to build nine homes in Foxhills, Ashurst, would increase traffic on a road used by hundreds of schoolchildren.

Now protesters are urging fellow villagers to attend a public meeting to have their say on the controversial scheme.

Mother-of-one Debbie Turner, 41, of Whartons Lane, said: "A lot of people in the road have young children who use the road.

"It's already a dangerous walk to school. It will make it more hazardous. We just want it stopped. That's our objective."

She said there was also concern the development would be out of keeping with the character of the village, which is part of the New Forest National Park.

Councillor Derek Tipp said he would "definitely oppose" the scheme.

He said: "My view is there's too much of this sort of infilling. It means more overcrowding and less space for parking, creating generally a poorer quality of life.

"Foxhills is already a very congested area for the school, so I can't personally see how we can justify putting more houses in an area where there's already congestion."

Millbrook-based architect Tony Oldfield, representing the applicants, dismissed the concerns.

He said: "If the Hampshire Highways Authority consider there's a danger, no doubt they will object, but I don't think it's that likely."

He said the number of homes proposed for the site was in keeping with strict government guidelines.

He said: "I don't consider it over-development of the site but everyone around there obviously has their own opinion."

The meeting will take place from 7pm tomorrow in the Church Room on Deerleap Lane.