AN application in Selborne for the construction of a dwelling, following the demolition of existing agricultural barns and sheds, at The Workshop in Gracious Street, has been unexpectedly granted permission.

Located within the Settlement Policy Boundary for Selborne, the site lies within the village conservation area and within the South Downs National Park.

While East Hampshire District Council’s (EHDC) conservation officer had no objection to the principle of a dwelling on the site, he did have concerns over the height and size of the proposed building which, he felt, would detract from the conservation area.

It was a view upheld in the officer recommendation for refusal, based on “height, bulk and massing” which would, it was felt, have an adverse impact on the conservation area and the wider national park, and would block the view of the Hangers Way for neighbouring properties.

But district council planners took a different view, that the dwelling would be a marked improvement on the dilapidated state of the existing buildings.

Furthermore, the application hadn’t attracted any objections from residents or Selborne Parish Council, with just one public comment that it would provide “a welcome improvement to the area” and would “fit well in the local landscape”.