A PADDOCK in the centre of Sparsholt will not be converted into land for four houses after civic chiefs blocked the plans over fears of road safety.

The Sparsholt Trust had applied to put up two four-bedroom houses and two two-bedroomed bungalows on land next to Sparsholt Primary School.

Objectors feared that the added number of cars to the site would only increase traffic in the otherwise congested village.

Speaking at a packed meeting at Winchester’s Guildhall, Woodman Lane resident Douglas Cooper said “the officer’s report speaks for itself.

"This application is fundamentally mis-concieved. Woodman Lane is a narrow country lane. At best two vehicles can pass each other with the cars only able to get past each other at various pinch points,” he said adding that Woodman Lane is a “rat run” used by residents and visitors to the village.

Sparsholt Parish councillor Nigel Reid said “there was no identified need for more houses in Sparsholt”.

Ward councillor for the village and Leader of Winchester City Council, Keith Wood, implored the members of the planning committee to refuse permission.

“If we don’t stick to our plan on this then it sets a precedent for the rest of the district. There’s no identifiable need for these houses.”

Winchester city councillors voted unanimously with the planning officer’s recommendation to refuse planning permission after the highways department, and other organisations objected to the proposals.

Forty-nine letters objecting to the proposals were also sent to the council.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Therese Evans said: “This has been quite an easy decision for me to come to. I can’t support this at all. I shall vote to refuse this application.”

Cllr Jane Rutter said: “I’m surprised this application has come to the committee. There’s no mitigating factors, it goes against the whole support of the village.”