A PLAN to safeguard the character of Winchester's Chilbolton Avenue area has been welcomed by city council cabinet members.

They have agreed to release a draft version of a Local Area Design Statement-the first of its kind in the district-produced for them by consultants following a public meeting and workshop.

It includes guidelines to ensure that any new development should "retain, incorporate and be constrained by the more important and valuable features of the avenue" and it suggests that while extra housing could be built in the area, it should be "hidden and discreet".

Councillors asked for the statement because the area had been hit by a rash of housing schemes as a result of developers buying up gardens and, in some cases, entire properties.

The public has four weeks to comment and a final version is expected in the summer.