Home plan for West Meon ‘waste land’ rejected

The proposal would have seen the four-bedroom home built on land between Alton Road and Marlands Lane, but breached planning policies relating to developments in the countryside, a planning committee determined.

Although no residents appeared before the committee to support the application, it received four letters backing it.

Tina Over, of Court Lane, West Meon, wrote: “This is a waste piece of land which should be used for housing. The design of the house is modern and fits in well with the rest of the village.”

Vanessa Wills, of Lynch Lane, West Meon, added: “With there being a shortage of houses in the south of England, using brown field sites such as the one in this application, and with no objection from the highways officer, I support this application.”

Ward councillor Hugh Lumby also backed the plans, writing to planners to say: “The site itself is essentially derelict land and provides no benefit to the SDNP (South Downs National Park). It has become an isolated and disused island surrounded by other houses.

“Use of this site for housing was previously considered by an inspector on appeal who supported the principle of residential use for this site. There is a real probability that this will therefore be appealed [if refused] and this application be approved on appeal.”

However, Winchester City Council planning officer Curtis Bradley backed West Meon Parish Council, the sole objector, in recommending the plans be refused.

In his report to the committee, Mr Bradley cited planning policy that “restricts development in the countryside to that which has an operational need to be located there, in order to protect the rural nature of the landscape”.

The committee heard a new Local Plan for the South Downs National Park is due to be adopted in July, but Mr Bradley still felt the plans would not meet the policies in that document.

The application was refused by seven votes to one.