IN response to comments made by Mr A Houghton of Southampton (Letters, July 19), clarification is needed with regards to the boundaries that separate the villages of Netley Abbey and Hamble.

I can reassure the gentleman that NIMBY-ism has not returned and in fact the land designated for the building of 300 homes is actually Hound Corner, which is the natural strategic gap which separates the parishes of Hound in Netley Abbey and Hamble.

Being a resident of Hound in Netley Abbey, I would wholeheartedly agree that Woolston and Netley Abbey have both suffered their fair share of building on every tiny plot of spare land that there is.

This is precisely why we, the residents of Netley Abbey, have put the notices in post office windows asking for the support of not only Butlocks Heath and Netley Abbey residents but Hamble residents also to help in the fight to keep this strategic gap which separates our two villages.

The notice in the post office window does in fact have a picture of the plans alongside it.

The land does run from Hound Corner along Hamble Lane as far as the Hamble Train Bridge.

However, make no mistake: this land definitely lies within the Netley Abbey boundary and, as already said, is the only thing that separates us and keeps our separate village identities.

MRS S BENNETT, Netley Abbey.