IT has split opinion in one of Hampshire’s most scenic villages, but social housing will be built in West Meon.

Most residents accepted that there was a need for it, Winchester City Council’s planning committee heard last Thursday (January 27).

But around 25 residents along with the South Downs National Park and the Campaign to Protect Rural England all tried to block the scheme.

On the other hand, West Meon Parish Council called for the new homes, after several years spent trying to find a suitable site.

The applicants, The Hyde Group, asked permission to build 10 homes opposite the recreation ground.

They would include five one-bedroom homes, while the rest would have two or three bedrooms.

The site is next to Marlands Lane, also known as The Old Road, which is a narrow country lane.

Some residents said it was not wide enough to handle extra traffic, while others said the new homes were in the wrong place.

Martin Small from the South Downs National Park said they recognised West Meon needed social housing.

“But the need for this new development is outweighed by the landscape setting of the village,” he said.

Parish council vice chairman, Nigel Slater, argued that the need for affordable homes came first.

He added that even if the scheme was approved, it still would not meet the current demand in West Meon.

Hyde Group spokesman, Chris Buchan-Hepburn, said the majority of villagers recognised the need for social housing.

“They want to keep families together in this community and keep the economic vibrancy of the village,” he said.

Committee member Cllr Barry Lipscomb said Hyde’s priorities were right, and the national park was wrong.

His Tory colleague, Cllr Eileen Berry, said: “In four years time, nobody will even think it’s a new development because it will blend in.”

The committee voted unanimously to approve the scheme.