Five detached houses can be built on land behind numbers 86 to 90 Wilsom Road in Alton.

Permission was granted to applicant James Hargreaves by East Hampshire District Council planning officers using delegated powers. The development will also include carports, parking and landscaping.

Alton Town Council supported the application and Worldham Parish Council made no comment.

A member of the public who had a neutral stance on the application asked East Hampshire to look after “several large mature trees” on their land because the plans indicated that building the access road would require entering a “no digging” circle around the trunks designed to protect the roots.

They said: “Can I have the assurance of East Hampshire District Council that the root protection area will be adhered to?”