A CONTROVERSIAL planning application which some say will “rip the heart out of the village of Selborne” has attracted strong opposition from residents who want to see the retention of The Queens Hotel as a going concern.

The application by Derek Warwick Developments calls for change of use from public house to six residential units, including demolition of single-storey structures.

While there are 16 letters of support registered for the proposal on the South Downs National Park website, the majority are voicing their objection to the loss of the only hotel accommodation in Selborne and what was a well-used facility.

There are questions raised, in particular over the amount of effort put in to sell the property as a going concern, with residents flagging up the apparent eagerness with which the building has been stripped of fixtures and fittings, and the more recent decision to reduce the size of the site which, it is claimed, would strip anyone proposing to keep the hotel of available parking space.

Furthermore, while some have welcomed the building of additional housing in the village, according to villager Terry Cartwright these will not be much needed affordable units.

Following a packed public meeting in the village when, according to Mr Cartwright, the consensus was that “the village needs to keep its hotel”, he is leading a community right-to-bid proposal which, if the funding can be found, could see the village take on the hotel as a community-run project.

After the meeting, Selborne Parish Council has reiterated its object to the application by drawing attention to EHDC’s pre-application advice, given in July 2015, that stressed “the importance of the Queens public house to the village of Selborne” and stated that every effort should be made to sustain its future – advice which Selborne Parish Council regards as “sound”.

In its online objection, the parish council is clear: “The Queens Hotel was not only an important focal point but it also provided the only hotel accommodation in this historic village for the many visitors who come here, attracted by Gilbert White and by the natural beauty of the landscape.

“The Queens had for many years been a tied house with the resulting restrictions and high rent. With an effective marketing strategy, a buyer could have had the opportunity to run it as a free house.”

The parish council urges that, before considering any change of use “it is vital first of all to consider whether there ever was any genuine intention on the part of Derek Warwick Developments to market the property as a going concern as a pub and hotel”.

And it questions the “confusing” marketing of the property.

“It seems evident that neither Savills (agents) nor Derek Warwick Developments ever intended to ‘make every effort to sustain the future of the Queens as a public house’ and that Derek Warwick Developments in fact bought the Queens simply for its potential as a development site,” a parish spokesman said.

There are concerns too about the proposed design and impact on the conservation area of Selborne.

People have until Monday to register their comments on the proposal on the South Downs National Park planning website, quoting the reference number SDNP/16/05403/FUL.