A BLUEPRINT for Petersfield which now states around 750 houses should be built in the town, has South Downs National Park Authority approval.

The Petersfield Neighbourhood Plan (PNP) originally said 700 houses should be built, but a government inspector insisted another 50 must be added.

The document has now been approved by the authority, despite previous objections to Causeway Farm being the largest development site in the plan.

The authority said the use of the farmland went against the principle aim of national parks, which is to preserve the countryside.

The authority suggested instead Penns Place playing fields to be set aside for the new homes.

But, last Thursday, the authority approved the PNP, including the inspector’s recommendation that the number of homes allowed on Causeway Farm should rise from around 150 to 200.

After the meeting, planning committee chairman Neville Harrison said: “This is a great achievement for the Petersfield Neighbourhood Plan team and the community of Petersfield.

"It is also a big step forward for localism and planning in the park.”

But the decision has dismayed some people.

Resident Jeff Kamen, who lives in The Causeway, said: “The new development boundary appears to be not much different from a previous one that wasn’t acceptable. If the original one wasn’t suitable, how can this be?”

A proposal about three years ago for 230 homes on the site also included a community building, allotments, and riverside walks.

Now the land is earmarked for 200 homes, but without any added community benefits.

Mr Kamen said: “It does look like they have gone.”

There will now be a simple yes/no acceptance vote on the PNP by town residents on Thursday, November 19.

If the yes campaign wins, it will successfully end almost four years of work by the volunteers who compiled the plan.

The referendum will cost an estimated £16,225.

This Friday, from 3-7pm, developers Bovis Homes and David Wilson Homes will be exhibiting the latest plans for a new estate on Causeway Farm at Petersfield Library in The Square.