Weymouth could see hundreds of new homes on a site on the edge of town - but residents have expressed concern that the development will increase pressure on facilities.

A request has been submitted to West Dorset District Council for an environmental impact assessment (EIA) with a view to the proposed development of 380 homes on land west of Southill's Radipole Lane, to the rear of the new Dorset Police headquarters and adjacent to the Bob Lucas Stadium, home to Weymouth FC.

The land, which is leased to a farmer and usually used for growing crops, has been left fallow this year. The owner is understood have have engaged a developer, acting through agents Savills, to undertake the assessment with a view to applying for planning permission for the development.

County Councillor David Harris, who lives in Southill, said he felt it was important that West Dorset District Council, under whose aegis the site falls, keep representatives and residents of Southill informed, given that the area would 'bear the brunt' of any development on the site.

"It will affect us quite considerably, as main access will be from Radipole Lane," he said, adding that the land was 'quite prone to flooding'.

Lindsay Drage, meanwhile, expressed concern that local schools and doctors' surgeries, already stretched, would be burdened further by the hundreds of new homes. "They're building houses, but what about the facilities?" she asked. "We need infrastructure. Radipole Lane is congested enough as it is."

Her friend Debby Rose agreed that the area's facilities were over-stretched already. "It's difficult to get your child into the school here in Southill," she noted. Mrs Rose and Mrs Drage were both members of the erstwhile Southill Preservation Society, which opposed development on the site when it was first proposed in 2009. "Our concerns are the same now as they were then," Mrs Rose said.

The documents submitted by Savills insist that the development would have no detrimental effect on the local environment, claiming it would take 'a holistic approach to sustainability' and would create no noise 'of concern' or any air quality issues. The documents note the presence of mature trees and hedgerows on the site, but insists that these can be 'accommodated within a carefully designed layout'.

Savills also claims that the development, by ensuring access to bus stops at 'convenient locations', will 'provide an alternative means of travel to private car use'.

The documents do not go into detail on the planned homes' impact on local services.

Southill resident Ian Brooke was dubious that the homes would ever see the light of day - or would be 'a long time coming' if they did.

"I think [the proposal] is too big," said Mr Brooke, who has in the past also been involved with the Southill Preservation Society, adding that he expected the council planning department would be 'frightened' by the scale of the development.

"If it goes ahead- and I don't think it will - then Southill will have to become its own unitary authority," he said. "Southill will be bigger than Weymouth."

A spokesman for the district council said the EIA was intended to establish what information would be required to be submitted with a planning application for a site in future, with a particular focus on environmental matters.

"When a local authority responds to these requests no decisions are made on a proposed development," the spokesman said.

"Environmental Impact Assessment Screening Opinion requests aren’t the subject of public consultation, and at this stage, no planning applications have been received for development at this location."