OBJECTORS are fighting the latest attempt to transform a large area of industrial land by building homes on the site.

Developers are seeking planning permission for 24 properties on an overgrown and litter-strewn site - but the land is at the end of a long narrow road.

Critics claim the proposed development would create extra traffic problems, preventing ambulances and fire engines from reaching their homes in an emergency.

The application, by C R Acquisitions, is for an “exclusive” residential development beside the railway line at the northern end of Brokenford Lane in Totton.

Totton and Eling Town Council says the scheme should be given the go-ahead.

But New Forest District Council, which will decide the application, has already received several letters of objection from locals worried about the potential impact of the scheme.

Cynthia Garrett, who has lived in the area for 40 years, says: “The road is capable of serving only single-file traffic.

“I witness vehicles mounting the pavement on a daily basis to enable one another to pass - often to the surprise of pedestrians using the path.”

Mrs Garrett also cites problems caused by HGVs trying to reach industrial buildings in the area.

She says: “It is common to see extremely large vehicles unable to pass through due to the narrowness of the lane. This results in lengthy traffic jams spilling onto Rumbridge Street and sometimes the Totton Bypass.

“In the event of an emergency the response times of the emergency services would be greatly increased. This would result in catastrophic consequences.”

Fellow objector Ben Green adds: “There is only one way in and out of Brokenford Lane, which is very tight and already creates a bottleneck. People living in Brokenford Lane have witnessed the trouble the emergency services have getting to the end of the road. Building more homes without more access roads would be dangerous.”

But a transport statement submitted as part of the application says the housing would generate less traffic than the former use of the land.

It adds: “It is considered that the development would not have a significant impact on the operation and safety of the local highway network.”

Previous proposals to build up 73 properties on the site and adjoining land did not gone ahead.

The latest scheme excludes a group of old industrial buildings that have been boarded-up following a spate of fires started by vandals.

But Totton councillor David Harrison said he was pleased that another proposal to build much-needed housing in the town had been submitted.