Clusters of villas in and around Fairmont Southampton golf course will still impact on the scenery — but not as much as residents first feared.

Hotel neighbour Susan Roblin — an outspoken protester against unpopular plans to build on the course two years ago — said revised proposals are better than she had expected.

However, Mrs. Roblin said local people would still prefer less development than the 130 villas, fractional units and townhomes now proposed at the site.

Two years ago, she was one of 600 people to sign a petition objecting to the scheme which would have reduced the golf course from 18 to ten holes.

After Fairmont Hotels and Resorts went back to the drawing board, the revised initiative will mean the 18th hole has to be moved, while clusters of buildings will slightly encroach at some of the other holes.

Mrs. Roblin and other residents were shown the new plans at a neighbourhood meeting last Monday night. Fairmont, which is no longer understood to be seeking a Special Development Order, will make its fresh application to the Planning Department in August.

Mrs. Roblin told The Royal Gazette: "They are keeping the golf course, which is great, but there are a few more developments up at Turtle Hill.

"It would be nice if those clusters were a little bit smaller, but I understand that they have to do something at the hotel as doing nothing wasn't an option.

"We went in there expecting the worst. It's a shame that the clusters of ten buildings could not be clusters of five buildings, but it could have been worse."