THE owner of a guest house in a Grade II listed building in Andover has applied for permission to build four new flats in the adjoining car park.

The application is for two studio and two one-bedroom flats on Marlborough Street, replacing a private car park which currently has six spaces.

All four properties would be classed as ‘affordable housing’ and be rented out on that basis.

The applicant owns Church Mews Guest House listed buildings on Marlborough Street and Chantry Street, and so the proposed new flats site falls within the Andover Conservation Area and is adjacent to a Grade II Listed Building.

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However, in planning documents submitted to Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC), the agent has said that the design has taken into account the high quality required to allow for the significance of the local area.

In addition, the council’s conservation team added: “There was, historically, a row of terraced dwellings in this location, and continuing further down the hill. The photographs demonstrate these buildings were only removed in relatively modern times.

“The proposed new buildings would match the style of the remaining building and those which were demolished. To a degree this would restore the character of the area. There is no objection to the proposed new building.”

However, the authority’s archaeological team did raise concerns that no statement with regard to possible historical remains on the site was given, due to past development.

They said: “It is disappointing to see that no archaeological heritage statement was submitted in support of this application. Whilst the previous development of the site is likely to have truncated archaeological remains at a relatively shallow depth, there is still a potential for remains to be present at deeper levels (such as the deeper strata of archaeology or lower portions of truncated pits, wells etc).

“The Victorian development was a small row of residential buildings and is unlikely to have had very significant foundations (which might otherwise be seen in more substantial industrial buildings).”

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Meanwhile, Hampshire Swifts, a bird conservation charity, said it was “disappointing that no integral nest bricks have been proposed for this development”, adding: “These are unobtrusive and provide crucial nesting opportunities for Red Listed species of bird.”

Commenting on the application at a meeting of the Andover Town Council planning committee last week, chair Cllr Christopher Ecclestone said: “I do believe that less car parks and more residences is good, and the number of car parking spaces that are up there is neither here nor there because there are big car parks around it.”

A separate application has also been submitted, seeking permission to attach the new properties to the party wall between the two buildings.

It states that the new building brickwork will need to butt up against the listed building, using a vertical joint, due to a change in the angle of the front and rear walls and the line of the adjacent pavement.

Again, the council’s conservation has offered no objection but added that “further details of how the roof will join the existing roof and how the wall joint shall be formed are needed.”

The applications will now be considered by Test Valley Borough Council. For details, visit: view-applications.testvalley.gov.uk/online-applications and use references 22/01098/FULLN and 22/01264/LBWN.

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