The changing face of Winchester and how to protect its special character was the subject of debate as the public examination of the city council's Local Plan began on Tuesday.

The inquiry into the 240-page document, which contains 148 proposals about what is planned for the area over the next seven years, is expected to last until the end of November.

Government Inspector, Edward Grace, will hear nearly 4,000 objections. He will consider evidence on some of the most contentious planning issues for the city, among them major housing proposals at Barton Farm, the possible redevelopment of Bushfield for park and ride and infill building in the suburbs.

Developers, Cala Homes, for example, will take the hot seat to discuss its proposals for 4,000 properties at Barton Farm, north of Winchester.

The inquiry began with an objection from Winchester resident, Maurice Charrett, about policy EN1, which has been deleted from the new plan.

EN1, drawn up in 1995, aims to distinguish areas of special policy across the district and ensure that any development on those sites does not detract from their character.

The city council says the policy is no longer consistent with what it wants to achieve in its plan.

Parts of the city, which are subject to EN1, are characterised by low housing density and generous tree cover and include streets such as Christchurch Road, Sarum Road, and Chilbolton Avenue.

There are also 14 villages in the Winchester district covered by the policy, among them Hursley, Otterbourne and Sparsholt.

Mr Charrett, of Hampton Lane, Fulflood, said the retention of policy EN1 to protect special areas was essential for the future of the district as had been demonstrated by planners putting the policy in place previously.

"Certain areas need to be protected," he said.

He gave examples where he believed development had been allowed which detracted from the character of the area, citing Salters, in Dean Lane, where a bungalow had been demolished to make way for four dwellings.

Alan Weeks, chairman of the Winchester Residents' Association, supporting Mr Charrett's objection, said the authority had argued that government planning guidelines on density, such as PPG3 had overridden EN1.

But he argued that even government guidelines had provisions that dictated that the local area was not adversely affected.

He argued that the authority was not implementing PPG3 in the way the Government intended.

But Greg White, the council's chief planning officer, said he believed the Local Plan struck the right balance between providing appropriate housing density and high-quality design.

He conceded that there had been times where elements of EN1 had been made impractical when PPG3 was implemented.

"Although EN1 was put in place as a reflection of Winchester, it was decided that circumstances had moved on," he said.

He said the dilemma facing the council was "trying to temper the requirements of government guidelines with a healthy respect for the surrounding environment".

Mr White added that a new policy contained in the Local Plan would attempt to "maximise the potential for the building development that is required and maximise the potential for high quality sensitive design".