IT'S hardly the sort of house you expect to find in an area famous for its ancient customs and old-fashioned ways.

Deep in the heart of the New Forest, a futuristic dwelling is being built beside a disused railway line that ran from Brockenhurst to Ringwood.

Its unusual looking design includes a curved copper roof - not an everyday site in a district that prides itself on its history.

The eye-catching house has replaced a Victorian crossing keeper's cottage near the former Holmsley station.

Now villagers have signalled their opposition to the scheme by saying it should have been shunted into touch by a government planning inspector.

Critics have made their feelings known to Burley Parish Council chairman Roger Hutchins, who runs the village post office.

He said: "It's a rather strange looking house - hardly a typical Forest dwelling that blends into its surroundings.

"The site used to be occupied by a one or two-bedroomed house that burnt down a couple of years ago.

"It was a very small building, made of local brick with a slate roof, that blended into the background."

The house was the subject of a planning inquiry after New Forest District Council rejected the scheme and the applicant appealed.

Council planning officers claimed the innovative angular building was a "step too far", but architect Chris Shearman said it aimed to mirror the landscape.

Planning inspector Mary O'Rourke allowed the appeal and overturned the council's decision.

Chris Elliott, head of development control, said the authority had recently received a complaint from the Council for the Protection of Rural England.

Owner Philip Green, of Highcliffe, said: "It's a very unusual design, but entirely appropriate nevertheless.

"It will be a grand-looking building that will be a landmark for the area."