Caroline is strongly opposed to housing proposals that threaten the strategic gap between Gosport, Fareham and Stubbington, and has formally objected to both Fareham Borough Council and developers on a number of these proposals as well as Fareham's Draft Local Plan. Committed to protecting the gap, she will continue to campaign against any future plans to use the space for housing developments, as she believes that it is vital to protect this land as a stretch of countryside that keeps communities distinct and prevents urban sprawl, whilst providing valuable green space to the local community. Caroline is also concerned about the pressures that developments within the strategic gap would further put on our already full schools, community facilities, dental practices and GP Surgeries. While understanding that we need new houses, Caroline believes that they should first and foremost be built on brownfield sites not green spaces, which are increasingly few and far between in the Solent region.
Many of these proposed developments are on the border with the Gosport Borough, with access points through Gosport and using Gosport infrastructure and amenities. Gosport as a Borough is 72% built on, as opposed to the national average of 6%, and Caroline believes that developing homes in the strategic gap would create excessive pressure on our already overburdened roads. The difficulty of getting in and out of the Gosport peninsula is infamous, and housing developments in this area will simply add so many more cars to gridlocked local roads. These types of developments would also negate the benefits of any road infrastructure works.
Back in July 2017, Fareham Borough Council was flagged as one of the 23 councils that need to tackle dangerous air pollution levels. Caroline believes that any housing development in the strategic gap would add to the air pollution levels in the area affecting the health and wellbeing of local residents.
The waterfront site at Daedalus was selected to be part of the Government's Direct Commissioning house-building pilot to deliver 200 homes. Caroline shared constituents’ concerns about pressures on local infrastructure so she met with the Minister for Housing to discuss the plans, Gosport Borough Council bosses joined her to seek reassurance that the investment will deliver infrastructure to support wider commercial development and job creation at the Daedalus waterfront site.
