PERMISSION has been granted at appeal for the construction of a second-storey side extension at Oakland on Stancomb Lane, Medstead.

The application was turned down by East Hampshire District Council planners last July on grounds that the proposed extension represented “an unacceptable cumulative addition to this property, which has been extended in the past, representing an 82 per cent increase in floor area”.

The planners’ report went on: “This enlargement and the extension itself changes the scale and character of the property and affects the successful retention of a range of dwellings of varying sizes in an area where new dwellings are not permitted.”

This was deemed contrary to East Hampshire planning policy.

Having visited the site on January 20, the government inspector felt the main issue to be the effect of the proposal on the variety of existing dwelling types and sizes in the area.

In his report, Mr Poole stated that the original dwelling was small and that, together with previous extensions, the proposal would increase the floor area of the appeal property by more than 50 per cent “resulting in a medium-sized dwelling”.

But he could find no evidence “to demonstrate that in this particular area, which is close to a number of settlements with new housing development, there is an identified need for small dwellings or an over-supply of medium-sized ones”.

In allowing the appeal, the inspector concluded that “the proposal would not have an unacceptable effect on the variety of existing dwelling types and sizes in the area”.