A PLAN to build houses in the grounds of one of Bournemouth's oldest cottages has been deferred.

The Grade II listed Moorside Cottage is one of the last remaining cob and thatch houses in the area and is thought to date to the 17th century.

Owner Matthew Stokes is seeking permission to build two new homes in its grounds, connected via a private lane to McWilliam Road.

At a planning board meeting on Monday members voted to defer the scheme and seek an assurance from Mr Stokes that cash from the project would be spent on the cottage's restoration, as well as clarification on the construction process and other issues.

At the meeting, board chairman Cllr David Kelsey asked whether the maintenance of the cottage could be made a condition for approval.

"The owners of this site have, shall we say, over the past few years, been less than willing to help maintain what is a listed building on their site," he said.

His comments were echoed by Cllr Sue Anderson who said: "It is a listed building, we as a council should be protecting it.

"No amount of building in the site, whether it is conservation or not, should be allowed until something has been done to the cottage."

However they were advised by planning officer Tom Hubbard that it was not possible to make a binding condition.

Cllr Anderson said she was concerned about the proposed access road.

"The access goes right past the garden of the house next door, it is extremely narrow," she said.

"How are they ever going to get lorries carrying building materials down there? It is totally wrong to even attempt it. They would have to turn in the entrance to the listed building."

Also, she said the Dorset Fire Authority had expressed concerns about getting emergency vehicles to the site.

However, planning officer Tom Hubbard said the access had already been approved, since Mr Stokes had been granted planning permission on appeal for one house on the same site in 2011.

Cllr Pat Oakley, who is chairman of the council's Flood Advisory Group, said the site was in an area at risk of flooding, with national flood maps suggesting some 30cm of flood water could cover the area in a one-in-25 year rainfall event.

However, Mr Hubbard said the council's flooding engineer had identified no risk to the proposed properties.

The scheme has attracted more than 30 objections from nearby residents, and is the latest in a chain of applications to build on the site dating back to 1987, all of which have been refused by Bournemouth council.