AN appeal by Terence Bonnar to build six strikingly contemporary dwellings, after the demolition of Flora Thompson's former home in Woolmer Gate, Griggs Green, has been dismissed by the planning inspectorate.

The inspector stated that the proposed six houses that were likely to have a harmful effect on the character and appearance of the area, that road safety was an issue and that there was a potential threat to a protected oak tree.

Mr Bonnar had put forward the planning application for six contemporary environmentally friendly dwellings late last year, which was rejected by power of delegation on density issues, never reaching EHDC's south planning committee.

His second submission of four dwellings, identical in design to the original six houses were approved by the council in early July.

At the time Mr Bonnar told The Herald that he had changed nothing on the original planning application other than the number of dwellings and that he was disappointed that something which had taken two years to get to committee stage was rejected by power of delegation, which is why he decided to proceed with the appeal.

Mr Bonnar said: "There seems to be no consistency about he whole planning debate. When I first put forward the application it was rejected on grounds of density.

"Unfortunately the inspector did not look at the revised drawings of the site layout, where the problem of dwellings being too close to trees has been addressed. It now boils down to parking guidelines, which I did not expect to be a problem.

"I am planning to go ahead with a fresh application for six dwellings, since density is not the problem, as previously quoted by EHDC, and am confident that I will receive a positive response.

"I am in no great rush and taking the current economy into consideration would think that next year is the right time to do so.

"Since this is not a commercial development, there is no urgency, but I just want to get it right and am hoping that when the Hindhead tunnel opens it will reflect positively on properties in this area.

"It takes more than an appeal dismissed for me to give up and I already have approval for four dwellings, although six fit in better with my plans."

The site of Flora Thompson's former home, where she lived with her postmaster husband for a year before moving to Devon, sits in a semi-rural location at the edge of the settlement, near to wooded countryside, surrounded on three sides by house and bungalows of mixed styles in Griggs Green, just off the Longmoor Road.

The inspector considered the connection to Flora Thompson was not of such merit that the loss of the house would be harmful.