THE village of Selborne is expected to benefit as a tourist attraction expands its car park.

Gilbert White’s House and The Oates Museum is developing its car park in the heart of the village in order to become more financially sustainable.

And East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) has agreed to make a £25,000 grant toward the £111,650 cost of the project.

The remainder of the funding will be provided by five other funders, including the Heritage Lottery Fund and Selborne Parish Council.

The museum’s car park serves Selborne in its entirety so the project will benefit local people as well as visitors.

David Ashcroft, chairman of EHDC and ward member for Selborne, said: “Gilbert White’s House and the Oates Museum is a fantastic attraction that draws visitors from around the country to Selborne so it is great that we can help them in this way.

“Improved car parking will be a huge boost for the pubs and shops and other places of interest around the village and we shall all benefit from this scheme.”

Julie Butler, the district council’s portfolio holder for customer service, said: “Cabinet grants have very strict criteria and we expect the applicants to have looked at all other funding opportunities before they come to us.

“The successful bids always have a really pro-active team behind them and projects that can show a real benefit to the wider community.”

Rosemary Irwin, chairman of trustees, said of the grant: “This welcome opportunity to expand our car park will not only help enormously with parking in Selborne but also offer more spaces to those visiting Gilbert White and The Oates Collections who have previously found it impossible to park their cars.”