A BID for an extension to a Winchester home has been refused after it was described as “overbearing”.

Winchester City Council’s planning committee rejected an application to increase the roof height of a property in Lynford Way, Weeke, to allow for the loft space to be converted.

Applicant Kate King also wanted to remove the existing garage and greenhouse to make way for an extension on the ground floor.

However, the plan sparked criticism from neighbours, with 16 letters of objections to the application.

Stuart Lyell, of Lynford Avenue, to the north of the planning site, spoke on behalf of other objectors at the committee.

He said: “The character of the surrounding area is very well established with primarily detached properties which all have adequate separation between adjourning frontages on both sides of the boundary line.

“Living on the boundary is not in conformity with the character and setting of the area. In our view it is poor design and the building line coming forward nor adequate separation… we believe is contrary to policy.

“The application is over development, overbearing and has unacceptable impact on adjoining land.”

Mr Lyell said there has been a “complete absence of consultation” with neighbours and they feel “aggrieved that there was not an opportunity for proper discussion”.

But the architect of the project to the committee said: “We have worked as hard as we can to keep it in character, I appreciate there are established material issues on site.

“We’ve listened the neighbours and we’ve tried to do our best right from the beginning and consider what the impact might be.”

The proposal was met with concerns from planning committee members who chose to reject the application.

Cllr Brian Laming said: “I have known this area for a great number of years and I look at this development and whilst we all want to develop our properties and I look at this particular one and it changes the whole character of the neighbourhood in this design. It is quite a large mass and a very small width.”