FEW houses have whipped up such controversy in Winchester, but planning chiefs finally gave it permission.

The detached neo-Georgian house, which will be built in a garden behind a property in Lynford Way, had already been refused once.

A Government inspector also rejected it, but a fresh application came back to Winchester City Council on Thursday (January 27).

The authority received more than 40 objection letters from residents, and several of them came to the meeting.

They told councillors that the actual number of opponents was closer to 70, and urged councillors to refuse the plan again.

However, council officers said the Government inspector only found one legal reason to block the scheme.

The inspector was worried that neighbouring properties would be overlooked, but that problem had been fixed, officers said.

The applicant, Mark Oakley, submitted a new design that had fewer windows on its first floor.

Cllr Allan Mitchell, who represents the area, said: “It really is a very ugly house and I think it would be soul destroying for the people who end up living there.”

Committee member Cllr Barry Lipscomb also said it was “ugly” and Cllr Therese Evans criticised it as well.

However, Cllr Ian Tait said he would back it, adding that the main legal reason to refuse the house was gone.

“If we refuse this, we would lose the appeal, and we need to bear that in mind,” he said.

His Tory colleague, Cllr Ernie Jeffs, said he backed it for that reason, even though he did not like the scheme.

Members voted by five to two with one abstention to grant permission.

After the meeting, Malcolm Pearson who lives in Bereweeke Way said the council must do more to stop ‘garden grabbing’.

“Lots of people are fed up with Winchester infilling every last nook and cranny that we have with housing,” he said.