Neighbours have objected to proposals to convert a Greenhill house into three apartments and build four additional flats in the grounds.

The application, when discussed by Weymouth town council planners, last week resulted in the committee raising no objections.

But since then a dozen comments have been made about the application, some alerted to it by a Dorset Echo story – several claiming it would be an over development and lead to a loss or privacy for some nearby homes and an increase in traffic trying to get in and out of the site.

Applicant Stephen Williams said he had lived in the main house, 23 Greenhill, opposite the tennis courts, for 15 years. He said he believed the seven units proposed would be of high quality and affordable for the location.

Committee vice chair Christine James said that many other houses in the area had already undergone similar changes and she did not believe there would be objections to it. The view was backed by the majority of the town council planning committee, which only acts in an advisory capacity.

Since then eleven other comments have been submitted to the Dorset Council planning website: Mr Ben Nolan-Stone said the rear extension would be ‘too severe’ in a conservation area and said he was worried that allowing the application would set a precedent leading to increased traffic; Mr James Williamson said converting the house to flats would spoil the character of the area: “It is not enhancing our neighbourhood by having more apartments.” he said.

Miss Carrie Horlock claimed the development would take light from her, and neighbouring properties, with the proposed new building looking directly into her rear gardens, bedrooms and a bathroom.

Mr and Mrs Graham and Barbara Dubben said the proposals would not be in keeping with the conservation area and, in their view, represented an over development of the site, which would add to traffic problems on the main road.

But other letter writers support the application – Mr Gareth Morgan said that if the development was to a high standard it would a ‘positive impact’ on the area; Mr James Beresford said that the proposed changes to the existing building would make little visual difference and said that the 10 parking spaces for 7 flats was adequate.

Mr Brian Dodge said, although now living in Dorchester, he often visited the area and had taken time to look at the application after reading about it in the Echo: “There has been some rather untastefull developments across this stretch of Greenhill some of which that would look more suited on an industrial estate and others that have excessively over developed, but we do not feel this is the case here,” he said.

Mrs M Cottam said she walked the area every day and had also looked at the plans: “most of the original houses have either been converted into apartments or demolished and replaced by apartments. The proposed development does not appear to detract from the area,“ she said.