TWO three-bedroom houses have been given the go-ahead for a site on Chapel Lane at Maiden Newton – against the wishes of neighbours and the parish council.

Dorset Council’s area planning committee voted 11-1 in favour of the scheme this week/on Thursday.

Adjoining neighbours, Johanna and Bryan Ward, said the plot of land was once the garden of the house they moved into ten years ago.

Their objection to the proposal said they would lose privacy with the new homes shading part of their garden from the sun.

Other neighbours also complained about the potential loss of privacy with some saying that parking problems would increase in the private lane as a result of the new homes.

Several said that one single-storey home might be acceptable on the site – a view shared by the parish council, which had also objected.

Concerns were also raised about having rooms in the roof space of the new properties.

Several residents were unhappy about the potential for construction traffic to damage the road, which residents pay to maintain, and of the potential for flooding, although a planning officer said the council believed a water management plan, as a condition of the consent, would resolve any issues which might lead to excess water running off the site.

An agent for Northshore Companies Ltd, Giles Moir, told the planning committee that the company had made changes to the original application to try and meet local fears.

He said he believed the two family homes would be a useful addition to the village and would be of a similar scale to nearby homes.

The told councillors in a statement that changes had been made to the original design to create spaces for four cars with alterations to the layout to limit overlooking.