Source: Smallwood ArchitectsThe proposed new houseBasingstoke and Deanes planning committee has approved a proposal by Smallwood Architects for the demolition and replacement of Ashe Park House, a country house set within a 232-acre estate near Overton with historical links to novelist Jane Austen.Smallwood Architects approved scheme involves the construction of a new Queen Anne-style country house on the footprint of the existing building.The site lies in open countryside outside any designated conservation area and contains no listed structures.Austen is known to have visited Ashe Park in the 1790s and referred to it in her letters, though the current house dates largely from major rebuilding carried out in the 1860s. Although unlisted, SAVE Britains Heritage argued in its formal objection that Ashe Park House should be treated as a non-designated heritage asset and retained.SAVE drew attention to evidence from Historic England suggesting the possibility of an older core within the structure. The group noted that the house had been Georgianised during the 1960s but retained its 19th-century form and much of its historic character. It argued that total demolition would result in the irreversible loss of a site of local significance.The campaign also criticised the environmental implications of the proposal, stating that it would release embodied carbon and undermine Basingstoke and Deanes commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2030. The demolition of buildings like Ashe Park House, which are perfectly capable of being refurbished, SAVE wrote, cannot be seen as meeting the objectives set out in either national or local commitments.The proposed new houseSource: Smallwood ArchitectsThe existing house is currently vacantSource: Smallwood ArchitectsProposed north and south elevations of new houseSource: Smallwood Architects1/3show captionHowever, planning officers recommended approval, concluding that the existing house had been so extensively altered during the 20th century that it lacked sufficient architectural or historic merit to justify retention. The proposal would not result in the loss of any building which is of historical or architectural interest, the officers report stated. The councils conservation officer described the house as a confused blend of styles and materials and supported its demolition, noting that little significant historic fabric remained.The architect claims that the new design references the architectural language of late 17th- and early 18th-century houses typical of the region, with Flemish-bond red brickwork, stone dressings, tall sash windows, a central pediment and a hipped slate roof with dormers.The proposals also include the conversion of outbuildings to form a swimming pool wing and changes to the surrounding landscape across the estate, including orchard planting, wildflower meadows and new woodland areas. Existing Arts and Crafts cottages on the site will be retained.While objections focused on both heritage and environmental grounds, the planning committee found the application to be in line with local and national planning policy.