A 1,400-signature protest petition demanding more power for people in Fareham on planning decisions has been handed to Parliament by MP Mark Hoban.

The Tory MP said people were annoyed important planning decisions, such as proposals to build hundreds of homes on the former Cold East Hospital site, in Sarisbury, were made in Whitehall.

The petition stated: "Local people and their councillors should be given a much greater role in decisions about how many homes should be built in their area and where those homes should be built.

"The views of local people should carry much greater weight than those of Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

"Decisions on planning should be taken in line with local plans and local development frameworks and should not be overridden either by unelected regional bodies or the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

"The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons amend the law relating to planning to increase the role of local authorities and local residents in implementing housing policy."