THEY have already spent more than a year urging a commercial operator to reveal its plans for one of Hampshire’s biggest military bases.

But families living near Marchwood Military Port are facing an even longer wait after it emerged that plans to hand over control of the site have been delayed.

Solent Gateway Ltd, a civilian company partly owned by the Scottish government, was due to start running the 330-acre port this month.

But last-minute negotiations with the Ministry of Defence mean the contract is unlikely to be signed until next month at the earliest.

Marchwood residents are anxious to learn what Solent Gateway intends to do with the site, which is surrounded by hundreds of homes.

But no details will be released until the deal has been completed - and the company’s long-term plans for vacant land surrounding the centre of the port could take even longer to emerge.

Solent Gateway says it is still working its way through a list of options to discover what is “possible and desirable”.

Newly-appointed port director Brian Fulton said: “We are delighted to taking over the management of Marchwood Military Port and look forward to working with our partners in the army to deliver its core function while looking at longer term commercial opportunities.

“Solent Gateway will shortly be starting detailed discussions with local planning authorities about what would be appropriate development on the site.

“We want to strike a balance between economic development and creating local employment opportunities with the needs of local residents and the environment.

“We realise that this is one of the last major waterfront sites in the area that can be developed and we are keen to get it right.

“There are a number of options around how vacant land can be used constructively and we are currently working through them to see what is both possible and desirable.

“This is a 35-year concession and these are very early days but we want to take the local community with us from the start.

“We’re keen to become a valued community partner in the area and fully committed to sharing more detailed plans in the months to come as what we are able to do on the site becomes clearer.”

Marchwood county councillor David Harrison said: “A lot of local residents are very anxious about any plans to develop the land for commercial uses.

“I really hope Solent Gateway will deliver on their intention to consult fully.

“From my perspective the earlier we see the plans, the better. I don’t think, for example, that our local roads can take any significant increases in HGV traffic.

District councillor Alison Hoare added: “Solent Gateway have indicated that once the contract is signed they’ll send out a newsletter updating all residents.

“They have said they want to be good neighbours and wish to keep the lines of communication open with the parish council.

“I hope they will keep their promise and continue to work with the parish council, keeping us and residents informed about the future of the site.”

As reported in the Daily Echo, Solent Gateway is a joint venture between GPA (Holdings) Ltd and David MacBrayne Ltd - an arms length company owned by the Scottish government.

David MacBrayne provides ferry and port operations services, mainly in Scotland.