AFTER a decade of speculation over the possibility of a large housing development in Lindford, the parish council has written to two potential developers to ask them what their intentions are.

Lindford Parish Council announced on Monday that it was frustrated by the continuing speculation but lack of facts surrounding the site at the bottom of Chase Road.

The history of the site is long and complicated and has been at the centre of controversy in Lindford for around a decade, since developers first showed an interest in building on the site.

Back in 1996 a planning inspector decreed that the settlements of Bordon and Lindford were not separate entities and that the open space between Chase Road and the River Wey would be a suitable place for a development of 100 large houses.

Developer Charles Church then put forward a strong case during the public inquiry into East Hampshire District Council's local plan, which acts as a development blueprint for the district.

In 1997 EHDC planners and the environment committee deferred to the inspector's decision, to the fury of Lindford residents.

East Hampshire District Council allocated the site for 100 homes but in a review of the local plan it now plans to increase the allocation to 165 homes to meet new government guidelines.

The village has been on a knife-edge since 1997 and both Charles Church and EHDC have said for more than a year that a planning application was "imminent".

Lindford Parish Council has put together an action plan and has spent the last few years looking for ammunition to fight any application.

An application has still not been submitted to the district council.

But, tired of the speculation and uncertainty, Lindford Parish Council has now written to Charles Church directly to ask the developer to share its plans.

Chairman of the planning committee Eric Birkett said: "We thought that it was time that we contacted Charles Church and on May 24 we wrote to them to find out what was happening.

"We have had ten years of speculation over a possible development there and in our letter we have said that we hope for information to ease our concerns.

"We have not had a reply yet.

"We are just putting the ball back in their court and I think that it would be nice to hear from them."

The parish council has also heard rumours that Bryant Homes is interested in developing the site and a similar letter has been sent to the company, asking it to clarify its intentions.

As well as making moves to find out when and if the Chase Road site will be developed, the parish council believes that its fight to prevent any application being granted permission has been aided by the district council's decision last month to refuse planning permission for 275 homes, a primary school and a community centre at Causeway Farm in Petersfield.

Members of the south planning committee unanimously decided to refuse the application on 19 separate grounds - many of which were environmental and included an unacceptable high risk of flooding in the future.

However, the applicant is expected to lodge an appeal over the decision.

Mr Birkett said: "This application was refused after 284 letters of objection were sent to the district council.

"Most of the refusal grounds are exactly the same as our arguments to oppose the Chase Road development.

"We are hopeful that we can use these same arguments if an application is submitted for Chase Road."