PLANNERS flew in the face of opposition last Thursday to support a controversial application to build a detached dwelling in the garden of 72 Bolle Road, Alton.

Despite concerns that the plan would be a "cramped and confined development" with access across the busy entrance to a primary school East Hampshire District Council's North Planning Committee agreed with officer recommendation.

Chief planning officer Daryl Phillips told councillors that, while on paper the proposed development looked larger than the existing semi-detached property in whose garden it would stand, in actual fact it would be about the same size.

Whilst acknowledging the uniform character of the 60s development, the new house would, he said, be similar in form and mass and would be set back to form a continuation of the the building line so that it would not stick out in the street scene.

The only real impact, he felt, would be the increased area of hard standing in front of the existing and the new property which could be of porous material to minimise surface run-off.

Mr Phillips pointed out that the proposed development had been deemed acceptable by parking and highways officers and that he considered it to be "in sympathy" with the overall character of the estate.

Residents felt otherwise. Speaking on their behalf Len Mills described the proposal as "the worst type of infilling" which would be at odds with the "open aspect, pleasant appearance and privacy" currently enjoyed by Bolle Road residents.

While pointing to the 'restrictive covenants' that protect many houses on the estate from development, Mr Mills felt that, if allowed, this would take on the appearance of a dense terrace "out of keeping" with the surrounding properties.

But the main concern was for the safety of Butts School children. The proposal would result, said Mr Mills, in two houses, adjacent to the school entrance, with no garages and parking space for four cars in front.

The fear was to access or exit the site, vehicles would have to reverse diagonally across yellow restricted parking lines bordering the school entrance.

Despite an original 'no objection', Alton Town Council had unanimously voted to do a U-turn and to join residents in objecting.

On their behalf Pam Jones said that ATC believed the proposal to represent "an unacceptable subdivision of an existing residential curtilage" which would give rise to "an unsatisfactory plot size, resulting in a cramped and confined development inappropriate to the character and appearance of the locality and the amenities of adjacent dwellings."

Mrs Jones said she and her colleagues also felt that the proposal would result in undue interference with the safety and convenience of other highway users at the entrance to Butts School.

They too had expressed fears for the safety of school children, pointing out that the entrance to the "funnel shaped" car parking area at the front of the two houses would encroach across the entrance to the school.

There was concern, in particular, over the dangers posed by contract traffic accessing the site during the building of the new house.

On behalf of the applicant Anne Burridge, architect Noel Wright pointed out that the 0.034 hectare development site was well within the settlement policy boundary for Alton and that it satisfied all requirements of the Local Plan.

Mr Wright said there had been no incidents on this road and that the access point would be covered by legislation. He described the proposal as "more of the same" and one which would not make any real difference to Bolle Road.

The application was permitted but with conditions.

These included a porous surface for the drive, with bollards to protect the adjoining grass verges from vehicular use, and to restrict delivery vehicles to avoid school drop off and pick up times during construction.