New Seafront Houses Approved

A prime seafront site has been granted planning permission in Milford on Sea.  New Forest planners have approved that the old NHS care home site on the cliff top at Ravenhurst, Ravens Way, Milford on Sea can be developed as four detached luxury homes.

This former home for people with learning difficulties has been vacant for the last three years since the NHS Trust had moved the former residents to other premises in the District more suited to their present day needs.

The new development will be built by Pennyfarthing Homes with the existing dilapidated buildings on the site to be demolished to be replaced with four contemporary designed two-storey detached houses that will enjoy spectacular panoramic sea views of Christchurch Bay and the Isle of Wight.

This planning permission comes after an earlier appeal for 13 houses on the site was dismissed by a Government Inspector in November 2010.  That scheme was considered to have had adversely affected the setting of the nearby landmark building, ‘The White House’, a grade II listed building. In granting planning permission for the four modern seaside residences New Forest planners were satisfied that the revised proposal would preserve the setting of The White House and would maintain the spacious appearance of this cliff-top location.

The proposal generated a requirement for the provision of two affordable dwellings to be provided.  Normally the local authority would seek these to be provided on-site.  However Pennyfarthing have offered to provide 3 affordable family homes on one of their other sites at 29 Keyhaven Road in Milford-on-Sea, close to the village shops and facilities.  The New Forest District Council considered this a suitable offer.