SEEDA boss Pam Alexander dismissed criticism of her plans for the former VT shipbuilding factory at Woolston during a visit to Southampton.

Renamed Woolston Riverside, the 32-acre site is slated for a mix of up to 1,500 homes and maritime industry, prompting residents to complain about "a concrete jungle" being erected on their doorstep.

"Concrete jungles are not what SEEDA has been about ever since it was created," said Ms Alexander, the South East England Development Agency chief executive.

"We hope to ensure that a derelict piece of brownfield land is brought back into use as fast as possible to create a quality mixed use future for that land."

She put complaints from residents and businesses down to communication problems

"Sometimes in the early days the most difficult thing to get right is communication and not surprisingly rumours abound that perhaps people will find they need not be concerned about."

Her comments follow the shock revelation that SEEDA is interested in purchasing the HMS Daedalus MOD site at Lee-on-the-Solent.

The 485-acre site, which had been rumoured as a likely location for a new prison, could be covered with thousands of homes and businesses.

Ms Alexander, who holds the purse strings on SEEDA's £178m budget, spent her day in the city visiting the boat show and Millbrook's Taplin Centre before meeting city council bosses at the Chamber of Commerce and business leaders at the Daily Echo HQ in Redbridge.