CALLS are being made for Fareham Council leader to resign after the authority lost a controversial housing appeal.

Fareham Borough Council's decision to throw out plans for 120 homes at Cranleigh Road in Portchester has been overturned by the planning inspectorate and now opposition councillors are calling for the head of Tory council leader Cllr Sean Woodward.

They claim the inspector's decision they say will make it "impossible" to defend future planning applications and plunge the council's local plan into chaos.

In the planning report, the inspector concluded Fareham Borough Council has only a two-year land supply, not the five years which it stated, and expressed the importance of making more land available for housing within the borough.

George Baird, HM's planning inspector said in the report: "The housing requirement is materially out-of-date."

He added that the council's five-year land calculation in 2011 was based on a defunct regional strategy policy which implied that the council could not meet its housing supply target set by the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) of 10,500 extra homes by 2036.

Liberal Democrat councillor Shaun Cunningham, who represents Portchester on Fareham Borough Council said: "Our local plan is now in tatters, open to challenge by any developer wishing to build on our precious greenfields."

"It will be impossible now for Fareham Borough Council to refuse present developments at Seafield Road, Winnham Farm in Portchester, Warsash, Funtley and other Greenfield sites.

"Cllr Woodward should now take the honourable act and resign. He has relied too heavily on Welborne, a 6,000-home development which was always going to be problematic in its delivery."

Councillor Roger Price, the leader of the Liberal Democrats on the council, said: "This plan is now in complete chaos because Cranleigh Road has been allowed.

"There should be an apology after the council leader criticised the handling of Eastleigh Council's local plan.

"We are going to pay because Councillor Woodward put his eggs in one basket by focusing on Welborne."

UKIP Cllr Carolyn Heneghan, who represents Stubbington, agreed with the Liberal Democrats and added: "Fareham is going to become a commuter belt rather than rural countryside."

Councillor Woodward dismissed the calls to resign and said that the council are working on a revised expanded plan which is expected to be unveiled next month.

He added: "I am extremely disappointed with the outcome of this appeal as the planning inspector has failed to acknowledge the council’s clear commitment to housing delivery over the long term in its current planning strategy.

"The council had already acknowledged the need to identify further housing sites in a new Local Plan over a longer timescale.

"This extended timescale, of course, requires additional housing sites, especially ones which will provide for early delivery due to the Welborne delays.

''If the leader of every council resigned every time a council lost a planning appeal there would be no council leaders left.''

Developers Persimmon Homes submitted the plans for the homes in March 2016 and received more than 500 objections from local residents and societies.