PLANS to build 100 homes in a flood-prone Hampshire village look set to be approved - despite sparking almost 140 objections.

Members of New Forest District Council are being recommended to support an application by Wyatt Homes to redevelop a site south of Derritt Lane in Bransgore.

The site is included in the council’s Local Plan, which identifies sites considered suitable for residential development.

Wyatt says 70 of the proposed new properties will be sold on the open market, while other 30 will fall into the affordable housing category.

A report to the planning committee says a viability assessment submitted by the applicant shows that more than 30 affordable units would not be viable.

Sopley and Bransgore parish councils are both recommending refusal amid concerns about extra traffic and flooding problems that often make Derritt Lane impassable after heavy rain.

But the report says the flooding and surface water drainage "will be adequately dealt with".

The application has sparked 139 letters of objection from people worried about the loss of countryside, the threat to wildlife and the impact of the proposed development on schools and health facilities.

However, the report says the scheme would deliver "a range of significant, economic, social and environmental benefits".

The application is due to be debated on Wednesday.

Objectors include Bransgore resident Ryan Woodgate, whose letter to the council claims the proposed development will "destroy" the village.

A former resident, now living in Wimborne, adds: "Ten years ago Wimborne was very similar to Bransgore. Since then the area has [seen] huge destructive developments all around. I ask NFDC to go and witness firsthand what has been done there."

Wyatt says the homes will be built in an area at low risk from water sources such as the Clockhouse Stream, which runs along the southern boundary of the site.

The company has included measures to deal with the issue, including drainage channels known as swales.

Speaking last year a Wyatt spokesperson said: "The proposals have been informed by extensive pre-application consultation with New Forest District Council, technical consultees and the feedback received from our public consultation earlier this year.

"The application is supported by a series of technical reports that address key issues including drainage."

Wyatt says the scheme includes more than seven hectares of public open space, plus play areas, a large village green and a tree-planting programme.