AN appeal will be held into a refusal by East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) to build two detached dwellings with integral garages on land adjacent to Wilsom Farmhouse on Wilsom Road in Alton.

The proposal was turned down district planners in June on the grounds that it would constitute “an unacceptable intrusion of development into the countryside, outside the settlement policy boundary for Alton” and that “the scale of the proposed houses, together with the height and design, which would substantially fill the full width of the site, would result in a dominant and overbearing impact on the street scene and have an appearance that is out of keeping with the character and appearance of the area”.

Furthermore, planners felt the change to the ground levels would “further harm the prevailing semi-rural character and appearance of the street scene”.

The proposal was said to be contrary to local planning policy and to the Alton Neighbourhood Plan.

The appeal is to be determined by written representation to The Planning Inspectorate, Room Kite N, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN, quoting reference APP/M1710/W/16/3154141to arrive no later than September 8.