THE saga of Fieldways - the historic house built by famous Basingstoke builder Harry Mussellwhite to live in himself - goes on.

There was an outcry at the end of last year when Laing Homes Thames Valley put in a plan to knock down the house in Russell Road and replace it with blocks of flats.

Following a campaign by local residents, backed by Basingstoke Heritage Society, Laing Homes put in an alternative plan for three four-storey blocks in the two-acre grounds - leaving the house standing.

Basingstoke council's development control committee were set to grant the application for 56 two-bedroomed flats in February - but deferred a decision after local residents complained the blocks were too high and the increased traffic generated would swamp roads in the area.

Now Laing has bypassed the council and appealed directly to the Ministry of Local Government, Transport and the Regions to make a decision on development of the site.

An inspector appointed by the ministry will shortly hold a public enquiry into the planning proposal in the Basingstoke area. The inspector will hear evidence from the developers, the council and objectors to the plan.

After building a number of houses in the Basingstoke area at the end of the previous century, Harry Mussellwhite built the grand five-bedroomed house for himself in the early 1900s.