MORE than 150 residents have voted in favour of calling a vote of no confidence against their parish council.

It was standing room only at the Old School, in Odiham, on Wednesday last week when residents said they had grown tired of what they feel is the Odiham Parish Council’s failure to uphold policies of the Odiham and North Warnborough Neighbourhood Plan.

Concern among residents came to a head earlier in March at a meeting when seven of the 10 members of Odiham Parish Council supported an application to build luxury homes in the historic Deer Park, an area of land which was a scheduled conservation area.

Despite the planning proposal having more than 500 objections from residents, the parish council decided to back the plan, which angered residents, leading them to believe they are not being proper represented by their councillors.

The latest meeting of villagers was chaired by North Warnborough resident Charles Peal. He said: “The reason for this evening’s meeting is a small but important step in the poll process.”

Mr Peal outlined what the vote would mean, and he encouraged more people to engage in localism before the parish elections just over a year away.

Addressing the meeting, Odiham resident Richard Coleman said he has become “disillusioned and disappointed” by the actions of the parish council.

He added: “Where is democracy in action when Odiham Parish Council brusquely dismisses the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group?

“How can the council reject the views of the electors who clearly voted for the Neighbourhood Plan with a huge majority, by supporting the Deer Park development in direct contravention of several Neighbourhood Plan policies?”

When asked the question “Have you lost confidence in those parish councillors who did not uphold the policies of the Neighbourhood Plan when they failed to object to the Deer Park planning application?”

residents voted overwhelmingly yes with 153 votes to four, with four abstentions.

This vote will now go to Hart District Council who will review the evidence and decide whether it is necessarily to hold a parish poll.

The Odiham and North Warnborough Neighbourhood Plan come into effect in June 2017 when 87 per cent of residents voted in favour of it in a bid to preserve areas of historical significances such as the Deer Park.