Former owners of a 15th century cottage have failed to save it from being demolished and replaced with newbuilds, after a planning inspector overturned a council ruling.

The home in Swanmore, Hampshire, known as 'Hiawatha', will be ripped down and replaced by two modern four-bedroom houses, despite being sold on the condition it was for just one family.

Hiawatha was sold last year by 94-year-old Eric Abbott, who raised his family in the whitewashed cottage with his wife Peggy.

Upon hearing that the new owner, Simon Smith, submitted a proposal to Winchester City Council to destroy his family home of more than 60 years, Mr Abbott hit out at the plans.

More than a thousand people signed a petition to stop the development and 200 objections were submitted to the council during the plan's public consultation period.

The village won the case to save the cottage worth £585,000 from being bulldozed, after Winchester City Council refused Mr Smith's planning application.

It said the new-builds would be 'visually intrusive' and would fail to 'adequately conserve the identity of Swanmore'. 

But now a planning inspector has overturned the decision after finding that the plans would not harm the area's character or appearance.

The inspector said in his report that homes in the surrounding area have many different sizes and styles.

He wrote: 'Although the building is locally valued, it does not meet the threshold for heritage significance, and there is no policy basis requiring its preservation.'

The historic village, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book, boasts some buildings which date back to the 16th and early 17th centuries.

Houses on the same street as the cottage - which has a long driveway, large blooming gardens and a charming whitewashed facade - cost an average of £800,000.

Julie Pinnock, the council's corporate head of planning and regulatory services, previously said the scheme would not benefit the village.

She said: 'The proposed development by virtue of its size, scale, design and external finish would fail to maintain or enhance the local character, appearance, built features or the variety of the local environment.'

She also noted the plan 'fails to protect and enhance biodiversity' locally.

Ms Pinnock said it did not provide 'appropriate precautionary assessment or mitigation' regarding the 'increased recreational pressures' the development would place on the area.

Mr Abbott submitted one of 200 objections about the plans to Winchester City Council.

His objection read: 'As the previous owner of Hiawatha, I was totally dismayed to see the change of heart of the new owners attempting to destroy Hiawatha and replace [it] with totally unsuitable houses.

'I instructed the estate agent to ensure my wonderful house was only sold to a family who would love it like I did and not destroy it.

'The estate agent assured me that he had made this clear to the new owners and that they had agreed it to be their forever home which is all I ever wanted for another family to love it like I had for the last 64 years.

'It seems they lied and were buying Hiawatha for financial gain.

'I had been offered to sell to many builders and I declined as this house is part of history, it was there before Chapel Road was even made.

'I would never have sold it had I known this was their intention and they knew that.

'There is an ancient well that in the deeds, demands that it should be operable for future water shortages in the village and this was a legal requirement.

'I believe Hiawatha was built in the 15th century. It is a beautiful flint cottage which should not be replaced with two identical newbuilds.

'I feel it should remain standing and let the slow worms, birds, bats and many other species carry on living as they have been for many years.

'I strongly object and do hope that this does not go ahead it would be a great shame to the wonderful village of Swanmore.'

Neighbours also thought the new-builds would not fit with the character of the village.

They said the building would cause traffic problems on a busy street around the corner from a primary school. 

Mr Abbott's former neighbour Ash Bennett, a 54-year-old air traffic controller, said: 'I've lived here 18, 19 years. I was aware when they sold the house, I didn't know until more recently about what was going to happen to it.

'Personally speaking, I would rather they wouldn't knock it down.'

David Hughes, 63, who lives nearby said he hopes he is not a 'nimby' for wanting the house to keep its character.

'I put in [an objection] saying I wasn't very keen on it, hopefully not from a nimby point of view,' he said. 

'If we're not careful, we'll have a lot of new houses here. It's an unusual looking house, it breaks up some of the monotony of the architecture.'

The villager admitted that he was surprised 'how many other people were that bothered about it'.

On the planning application, Historic England said that there is no evidence to indicate that the building predates the 19th century. It is believed to have been built between 1840 and 1868.

It said: 'The building does not illustrate an important aspect of the nation's history, nor does it have the historic associations with nationally important individuals, groups, or events, which might give it historic special interest.'

The new owners were approached for comment regarding the allegation that they went back on a promise to keep the house a family home.