ARCHITECTS of the Petersfield Neighbourhood Plan (PNP) have defended their position as the furore grows over the hundreds of new homes assigned for the town.

A campaign is being organised by angry residents of The Causeway and Broadway Park to stop the PNP being adopted by a referendum this autumn.

Causeway Farm is identified as a site for 200 homes in the draft plan. David Wilson Homes is to submit a 159-home planning application for the land.

And last month a Government examiner said an extra 42 houses should be built there.

Campaigners, though, do not accept this as a done deal.

One protestor said:?“If the PNP think they are going to get an easy ride, they have another think coming.”

A residents’ meeting to galvanise support and a petition are being organised.

Causeway ward councillor Ben Bentley is knocking on all the doors along The Causeway over the coming weeks to gauge opinion.

This comes as planners at the South Downs National Park Authority are preparing to discuss the examiner’s report into the PNP on September 10, and to vote on the modifications so the referendum can be held.

Petersfield resident Mary Vincent believes that those planning to vote against the PNP?are misguided.

It was far better to have a proper plan in place otherwise the developers would have “carte blanche” to build without restraints. The plan was so much more than just The Causeway site.

The team behind the PNP stressed again that Government planning policy dictated that Petersfield had to build a minimum of 700 homes. This was a minimum requirement.

“The Petersfield Neighbourhood Plan must comply with these figures and has allocated land limited to around 770 new homes,” said Jamie Matthews.

Development on any sites allocated for housing in the plan still had to go through the planning process.

“The PNP means future development in Petersfield can work together to enhance our community rather than just leaving it to the kind of piecemeal development that might have occurred in the past,” he added.

There had been public consultation throughout.