FEARS that a planning loophole could see 250 houses built on a field has prompted nearby residents to form a protest group.

People living at Grange Park in Hedge End, have long enjoyed the sight of horses grazing on a field behind their homes.

Outline planning permission for low-rise office development at the site was granted by Eastleigh Borough Council in 1988, but building never went ahead.

However, now Barratt Homes is buying the land with a view to building 250 houses there - and residents fear planning permission will be granted because the green fields are considered to be a brownfield site.

Neil Wookey, of neighbouring Missenden Acres, who has started a 1,000-signature petition, said: "Technically it's not a greenfield site because planning permission has been granted so it's considered to be a brownfield site. It's ridiculous - you can't compare it to the Pirelli site, for instance.

"Once they build on those fields there will be no areas of open land between the motorway and Botley. A lot of people bought their houses on the proviso it would not be used for housing development."

Hedge End Town Council chairman Paul Brown, said: "It's a green field - it's in a completely natural state, yet technically it's a brownfield site because in the past it was given permission.

"But that flies in the face of the idea of greenfield and brownfield sites."

Cliff Bowden, head of planning policy at Eastleigh Council, said under government guidelines the borough must find space for 4,000 homes in the next ten years.

He said: "These 250 houses would contribute towards the structure plan requirement. The council would prefer to see houses built on brownfield sites.

Steven Wilks, managing director of Barratt Homes's Southampton division, said the firm could pay for a new classroom at Berry-wood Primary School. He added: "Traffic consultants have looked at the existing road structure and concluded we would generate less traffic in the mornings than the office development would have generated."