A BID to convert a small shop in Grayshott’s Conservation area into a home was deferred by East Hampshire District Council planners to give more time for a possible new tenant to be found.

The ex-boutique fronting Oak View, on Headley Road, has been vacant for two years, having been advertised for eight months at £5,000 per year rental.

The owner told the committee there had been no interest as the shop was too small at 13 square metres, and had no parking, toilet or storage area. The shop front would be preserved, as it was an important feature of the conservation area.

But EHDC leader Ferris Cowper, speaking as a ward councillor, said he knew of lock-ups that had been on the market for one year and were now very successful businesses. He asked the committee for a deferral.

While he believed there were no grounds for refusal, there were grounds for saying the case for consent had not been proven – and the area designated as the shop was not correct as there was a “significant property” behind it which was roughly double the size.

The committee agreed to to defer the application to allow the shop to be marketed for a longer period of time with a reassessment of the rent and internal layout.