An exhibition showing proposals for an 800-home urban village on the Abbotswood site, north of Romsey, was attended by 450 people last week.

The exhibition, at Romsey Town Hall, showed plans which have been submitted to Test Valley Borough Council and was staffed by the developers' representatives.

Jim Tarzey, of Pegasus Planning,said "We would like to thank the people of Romsey for once again attending our exhibition in great number. We are currently analysing the feedback received, and will report this back to the community as soon as it is available."

Town councillor, Mike Wenman, said he was impressed initially by the amount of green space shown in the plans.

However, he thought the main development zone, bordering Braishfield Road and Woodley Lane and containing around 600 houses, was too densely packed and the homes would have very small gardens.

In a letter to the Advertiser, he said: "Houses open almost directly onto the public ways and there is very limited parking for residents and their visitors.

"Housing may work in small developments, but with some 600 homes, I think there may be some social problems in the making here. I would prefer to see a larger housing zone with lower density, even if this means loosing a little of the green space.."

Cllr Wenman, who represents the Cupernham ward, was also concerned by issues concerning access to the site and its impact on the town's traffic system. You can read his full letter in next week's edition.

* If anyone was unable to attend the exhibition and would like further information, they can contact Nick Maybanks, of Green Issues Communications, on 01189 839 456, or email nickm@greenissues.com. The masterplan can now be viewed at www.greenissues.com/abbotswood.