A CHIEF planner has claimed to a Petersfield audience that a recent push for housebuilding could be the tip of a hefty iceberg.

Residents have been warned that East Hampshire District Council is expecting to receive an "awful lot more planning applications" over the coming years.

The admission came hot on the heels of an announcement that a government inspector has all but approved the soundness of the next Local Plan.

More than 10,000 houses will have to be built across the district over the next 15 years if the joint core strategy is rubber-stamped in a few months time.

That equates to just short of 600 homes per year – nearly double the recent rate of housebuilding – with the majority earmarked for Whitehill and Bordon.

For full story, see this week's Petersfield Herald.