Councillors have paved the way for more than 20 new homes in a village between Farnham and Alton.

Draft plans to build up to 21 houses on land west of the Somerset Fields development in Bentley have been approved by East Hampshire District Council.

The scheme by Manor Oak Homes also includes nine affordable properties with access coming through the aforementioned estate west of Hole Lane.

The application approved by the Planning Committee is not final and only confirms that development on the site is acceptable with finer details to be later confirmed.

But it means that development is now almost a given on the 1.49 hectare site with a mix of homes, ranging from one to four bedrooms in size, in the pipeline.

The greenfield site lies outside the village’s development boundary and is bordered to the south by a conservation area. The development would be split in two with the western side remaining open and housing being built adjacent to the Somerset Fields estate.

While committee members approved by the application by six votes to one absention, previous objections from the likes of Bentley Parish Council were noted.

The council raised concerns about the increase of traffic onto Hole Lane through Somerset Fields and worries about drainage as nearby ditches and a watercourse have been “overwhelmed at times” from new development.

“One of the problems in Bentley is the treatment plant and water - there are many times of the year when the plant is insufficiently capable of handling the volume of water,” said Cllr David Ashcroft in acknowledging the issue.

“Therefore, discharges into the chalk stream occur on a fairly regular basis.”

It was also noted the scheme put forward by Manor Oak Homes is considerably larger than a previous one for 12 dwellings that was rejected in 2023 before being approved on appeal the following year.

Their agent, Geoff Armstrong, cited the council’s land housing supply issues before saying the development would help meet demand in the Bentley area.

“The percentage of affordable housing has increased to 43 per cent, which is nine dwellings,” said Mr Armstrong, adding the scheme had followed more than 12 months of discussions with an EHDC case officer.

“The council were of the view this was an appropriate housing site. It relates well to Bentley and its services and is similar in size to the development on Somerset Fields.”