A CASTING vote decided an application for five homes on a site at Tower Hill, Bere Regis.

A call to reject the scheme went to 4-4 and was then thrown out on the vote of chair Cllr Toni Coombs.

Like other councillors she commented that she was not against development of the Tower House site, but felt the proposal was not the right one.

There had been concerns expressed about how two of the new homes, facing onto the road, would overlook properties on the opposite side – despite the developers having reduced their height from the original design and offer to widen the road at that point by two metres.

Cllr Shane Bartlett, who proposed rejecting the application, said he took the view that while residents do not have a right to a view they do have a right to privacy.

“The new development would have put it within 11 metres of existing properties which I felt was to close resulting in lack of privacy and being overlooked. The site is acceptable for development but the lay out and design fell short,” he said.

Parish councillor Ian Ventham told the Dorset Council eastern area planning that the parish were keen to see the land developed and had put forward the site, and another nearby, for housing in the 2019 village plan.

Cllr Alex Brenton was among those who favoured developing the site, which includes the demolition of Tower House and its outbuildings. She described the plot as “a dead place”.

She said that although the homes would be seen from the bypass the request was a good use of the land and the family-sized homes were needed in the area.

Referring to comments that the designs would be out of keeping with the rural “feel” of part of the road she said: “In a couple of years’ time people will forget these are new houses.”

Cllr David Tooke argued that distance distance between two of the proposed homes and those on the opposite side of the road, especially The Poppies, was too close. He said he also had concerns about the destruction of hedgerow to build the homes and was concerned that the extra properties would increase the traffic and parking problems on the narrow roads in the area.