AN appeal is to be held into an application by Mulberry Homes (Ropley) Ltd to build nine two and three-bed homes on the site of The Chequers Inn at the junction of Gascoigne Lane and the A31 Winchester Road.

The application was turned down by East Hampshire District Council planners on December 8 last year on grounds that part of the site lies outside the settlement policy boundary for the village, in an area defined as countryside, and that there was no evidence to justify the development as meeting a genuine need for a countryside location, nor did it have overriding community support.

Furthermore, the development, by virtue of its layout and density, with dwellings sited close to the highway frontage, significant areas of hard surfacing and rear gardens areas backing onto the proposed access road/footpath, was seen to represent “an unsatisfactory cramped urban form of development” which is significantly out of keeping with the character and appearance of the area.

As a consequence, the proposal was considered to be contrary to local, district and national planning policy.

The decision flies in the face of public opinion, with many in the village welcoming the Mulberry Homes application as a way of tidying up an “eyesore” site.

While not offering a low-cost social housing element, the proposal would, residents felt, provide the type of affordable small size family homes currently lacking in the village.

Out of the 34 public comments registered on the East Hampshire District Council planning portal, 33 were in support of the application, with most echoing the sentiment: “The pub looks an eyesore and needs pulling down.”

The appeal is to be the subject of a public hearing.

Representations can be made online at acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk.

Or write to Simon Dunn,The Planning Inspectorate, Room 3N, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN, quoting reference APP/M1710/W/18/3193239, to arrive no later than March 12.