CHARLTON is a step closer to getting the crematorium none of the villagers want.

Five years ago Test Valley Borough Council planners turned down an application for outline planning permission to build a crematorium - but an appeal was allowed in 2002.

The applicants returned with detailed plans for the crematorium at Charlton Nursery in Hatherden Road last week.

Members of Test Valley Borough Council's northern area planning committee heard that the scheme included a landscape theme based on seasons of the year, a formal courtyard and a children's Garden of Remembrance.

Charlton Parish Council complained there was no need for a crematorium in Andover because the ones at Basingstoke and Salisbury were not used to full capacity.

They also said it would put additional strain on the already heavily used roads in and around Charlton village. But the inspector in his conclusions said the need for a crematorium in the Andover area outweighed strict controls on new building in the countryside.

He said most traffic to the site would pass through Charlton when the roads were generally quiet outside peak times.

For the full story see Friday's Andover Advertiser