COUNCILLORS reluctantly voted in favour of an application to trade a mobile home for a permanent home, described as "planning by creep".

They unhappily went with the case officer's recommendation and approved an outline planning application by James Barney to replace a mobile home with a permanent dwelling near Sherfield English.

The application site straddles the eastern boundary of Sandhill Farm, adjacent to Newtown Road on its western side and drew several objections.

The vote at Test Valley Borough Council Southern Area Planning Committee passed near-unanimously, with only Cllr Gordon Bailey objecting.

Site plan (Image: Promap) Cllr Nick Adams-King, Hampshire County Council leader who was present as a speaker, said: "At the end of the day, what we're faced with now, is a further change for a permanent structure in the countryside, which is a very different thing to a mobile home".

Cllr Adams-King notified the council that the current mobile home is not sited on the land where planning is being considered, making it impossible to judge what a permanent dwelling would look like.

The councillor further stated the plans conflicted with planning policies.

Cllr Sheila Cook, representing Sheffield English Parish Council, called the application "planning by creep".

She said: "This started with a caravan, for security purposes.

"This was then upgraded to a mobile home, which was also relocated to a more favourable site for the applicant and an adjacent paddock - which is classed as countryside."

The wider site has large agricultural buildings, some of which have benefitted from planning permission for change of use to Class B2 and B8 uses.

According to the planning officer's report, the mobile home is currently on site and in situ hardstanding allows it to be stationed on the land.

The planning report said: "The current application seeks to trade off the mobile home, lawfully permitted to be on the site for residential purposes and its replacement with a permanent residential dwelling."

Planning officers at the meeting stated the council had a choice: to be able to affect the design of the future dwelling by granting the outline planning application or risk any type of temporary dwelling, of any size, being sited on the land.

Speaking before the vote, Cllr John Parker noted the issue was very similar arguments regarding Class Q, the conversion of agriculture dwellings.

He said: "In this case, we're being asked for permanent permission for a permanent dwelling, over which we will have some control because it would need to come forward as a reserved matter versus no control over the permanent positioning of a temporary building on the site."

"We're in a position where the fallback argument is a good, solid, argument, unfortunately, backed up by case law and it is better for us to have control over a permanent home than no control over a series of temporary dwellings, which could look like anything on earth."