Felpham's homes plans go on display

The large turnout saw those who arrived, as the display by housebuilder Barratt and David Wilson Homes opened, being faced with a 40-minute wait.

By 5pm, well over 300 people had visited the exhbition in St Mary's Centre in Grassmere Close. More were queued up outside the building.

Flansham Lane resident Mike Wadley (59) said the occasion had failed to ease his concerns about the impact of the large development.

'It does not have the infrastructure to support it,' he stated. 'The road system around here is going to be deadlocked.

'The situation is going to be a nightmare in the next few years, certainly until the roads are sorted.'

His neighbours '“ Michaela Betsworth (39) and Margaret Hammond (74) also went along. Lifelong Felpham resident Mrs Betsworth said the proposals amounted to little.

'There seems to be no commitment on anything. It is all subject to changes and amendments.

'I wanted to know about the roundabout at Hoe Lane because I am trying to sell my property. All the time I don't know what's happening, I can't sell,' she stated.

Wroxham Way man Tommy Gaskin said the exhibition '“ with its range of 12 boards and various maps and drawings '“ was a waste of time. He fumed: 'That display is a disgrace. I learned nothing from it.

'It was impossible to see through the crowds of people by the boards. I thought there was going to be a model in there so everybody could look down on it.

'In this day and age, a big company like Barratt should be able to do better than have a few boards. They are going to make enough money out of this scheme.'

John Moore (67), of Normans Drive, said he was partly reassured about the impact of the proposals on his bungalow of the past three-and-a-half years.

'There seems to be plenty of green space around and the houses next to us are going to be two-storey. In all, there's going to be 100 houses in the field by us. But the scheme needs another road to serve the houses and it's going to mean a hell of an influx of people.'

As the Observer reported, Barratt and David Wilson Homes bought the 133-acre site north of Normans Drive for more than 33m from the collection of landowners. Outline planning permission for the development and a relief road '“ along with a related 650 homes in North Bersted '“ was granted by the government last November.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes are compiling detailed planning applications for their scheme. These will show the exact location and type of houses to be built, where the 5.27 hectares of open spaces will be sited and the routes of the estate roads. The development will be built in phases. The first section will cover the roads and services needed for the proposed houses.

Steve Houkes, the companies' spokesman, said: 'We have been encouraged by the turnout. We wanted to gain the public's views before the detailed planning applications are put in.

'There have been concerns about the infrastructure to be provided and people want to know about the building of the relief road. We realise this is much needed to tackle a long-term problem. Other people have been interested in the estate layout and how their particular homes are affected by it.'