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Search the Public Notice PortalA landowner has claimed a narrow victory after winning approval to convert a barn into a four-bedroom holiday let.
The plans concerned a barn at The Mushroom Farm, on the edge of Rockbourne, which was previously used to store machinery and materials for the applicant’s construction business.
The applicant, Matt Glover, said the business near Fordingbridge was being wound down, and the building was no longer required for commercial storage.
But the proposals have faced strong objections from neighbours, the planning committee at New Forest District Council (NFDC) heard.
More than 25 objections were made to the scheme, with one resident describing it as a “residential creep”.
It comes after the committee refused an earlier application for a similar scheme in October 2025.
At the meeting on August 12, a letter from concerned resident Lucy Matthews was read to councillors.
She said “it is clear” that the application is the next step in obtaining planning permission for “four or five residential properties by means of creep applications”.
Ms Matthews added: “Unless you, the elected councillors for NFDC, act now to stop this development, we will soon have a close of houses on the edge of a conservation area.
“I urge you all to see what is being done here. Don’t let this developer ruin our village.”
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Under the plans, the accommodation will include four bedrooms on the first floor, one with an en-suite bathroom.
The ground floor will provide an open-plan living and dining area, as well as kitchen, utility and study space.
Five rooflights will remain under the revised scheme, compared with 12 in the previously refused application.
The previous scheme was rejected partly because the council said the applicant had not shown it formed part of a farm diversification project.
The plans have since undergone several changes, according to Eleanor King, the agent who spoke on behalf of Mr Glover.
She said: “The proposal seeks to make efficient use of an existing building in the countryside with a complementary design for the local area.
“The traffic generated by this holiday let will not be significant.”
But Cllr Malcolm Wade, Liberal Democrat for Dibden, said he was not overly supportive of the scheme.
He added: “This is something waiting to be turned into something else. I am not quite comfortable with it. “
Five councillors voted in favour of the plans, while four voted against.
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