Andover Town Council has thrown its support behind a planned supported living home after it was controversially rejected.

Councillors on the planning committee were in favour of a lawful development certificate for Creepers Cottage, plans for which were rejected earlier this year by Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) on the ground of “disconcerting noises” from residents, which led to accusations of “pure discrimination”.

Cllr Luigi Gregori said: “I’m all in favour of this second application. I was disappointed that Test Valley officers refused it [the first application] and I fully support it and endorse it. We have no objection and fully support it.”

Mayor Cllr Barbara Long added: “We didn’t have any objection last time, though Test Valley refused it, and hopefully that lawful development certificate will go through.”

Their comments are the latest in a planning saga relating to relates to a planning application by Maddison Taylor, who applied to convert her family home, Creepers Cottage in Mead Hedges, into a supported living home following many years of work as a carer at Andover and District Mencap. The property would see no alterations to its structure, just requiring a change of use from TVBC.

Concerns had been raised regarding parking and traffic at the site, but were addressed during the course of the application. Noise concerns, however, were raised by environmental health officers, leading to the plan’s refusal.

Following the rejection of these plans, and meetings with the council, she has now submitted an application for a lawful development certificate. If approved, it would legally certify that the building can be used as a supported living home without planning permission.

Town councillors attending the planning committee on August 23 were unanimously in favour of the new plans, mirroring their response to the initial plans being rejected at a meeting in June.

At the time, Cllr Long said she was “extremely concerned” about the rejection, while Cllr Gregori said it gave ‘the wrong impression of Andover and its people’.

He said: “I think we need to be realistic, and everybody has the right to live their lives in a secure environment and there are lots of homes around Andover of different sorts. It’s wrong.”