Fareham Councillors raised questions back in JULY about the slowdown in the Borough’s recycling rate. They mentioned the need to recycle a wider range of items, eg plastic tubs and trays.

Fareham’s Head of Recycling explained then that plans for a Super Materials Recovery Facility, which would give wider recycling opportunities, had been put on hold until after the Government’s Waste Strategy was to be announced in  AUTUMN.

Lib Dem Councillor Katrina Trott asked at the Council’s DECEMBER meeting whether that strategy had been announced, and was told it would be announced in JANUARY next year.

Cllr Trott says: “Fareham Council is quite rightly campaigning to reduce the consumption of single use plastics in the Borough, yet a project which could help with that has been needlessly delayed for SIX MONTHS.

“It’s yet another example of policies the public want and need being kicked into the long grass while Tory ministers stumble and squabble over Brexit.”

Developers have published a proposal to build 200 homes on land between the old and new routes of Newgate Lane South.

They say it would “provide a natural extension” to homes proposed east of the new road in Fareham’s Draft Local Plan.

But under that draft Local Plan, the land west of the new road remains part of the strategic gap separating Stubbington from Fareham.

The land on which Fareham Council is proposing to allow up to 475 homes under its revised plan is itself being sliced from the strategic gap as it was agreed under the original Local Plan in 2015.

Stubbington Councillor Jim Forrest – pictured with resident Lesley Davies – says: “The old part of Newgate Lane has just been restored to its country lane character – we’ll fight to keep it that way. This new proposal from developers, on top of what Fareham Council has already suggested, is just plain greedy.”

No planning application has yet been submitted for the suggested new homes, but we’ll let you know if one appears