Plans to equip a New Forest house with an external lift shaft have been approved on appeal.

Stuart Clarke lodged the appeal after an application relating to a house at Hazel Grove in Ashurst was turned down by the New Forest National Park Authority (NPA) in March 2022.

Now a government-appointed planning inspector has quashed the NPA's decision.

The inspector's report said the proposed shaft would house a stair lift required by an occupant with mobility issues.

"The shaft would emanate from the roof of the conservatory attached to the dwelling and connect the ground floor with the first floor."

The report said the property's habitable floorspace could be increased if exceptional circumstances arose from a genuine family need that could not have been foreseen when the house was bought.

"The appellant has provided medical letters from their consultant and GP that explain the current health issues they are suffering.

"There is substantive evidence to demonstrate that the issues are unlikely to get better, and navigating the stairs within the property present a significant challenge."