PLANNING chiefs are studying a proposal to replace a Hampshire pub with six homes that would boast zero-carbon technology.

The Wellington Pub Company has submitted an application to bulldoze The Players in Water Lane, Totton, and use the land for eco-friendly housing.

The mock-Tudor building closed in the early part of 2017 and attempts to find a new landlord have failed.

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Last year a Wellington spokesman said none of the applicants "had sufficient funds and experience".

He added: “We are only marketing The Players as a pub and have turned down other alternative offers, such as a car hire firm which was interested.”

Now New Forest District Council is being asked to approve plans to replace the pub with four three-bedroom homes and two two-bedroom properties equipped with what are described as zero-emission boilers.

The application claims that the technology increases a property's energy efficiency "above and beyond" building regulations.

"It's this type of solution that will be essential to meeting current and future policies in respect of energy efficiency/carbon reduction and meeting the requirements of the upcoming Future Homes Standards," it says.

"This technology is much more efficient than gas and electric boilers and has numerous advantages."

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Turning to other issues the application adds: "The proposal represents a policy-compliant scheme which would make effective use of an under-utilised land and is an appropriate form of development which would provide much-needed housing."

The building occupies a large site at the junction of Water Lane, Northlands Road and Hammonds Green.

The application says: "Given the evidence of alternative facilities within the same catchment area, the proposed redevelopment would not represent an unnecessary loss of a valued facility and would not reduce the community's ability to meet its day-to-day needs."

Originally called the Coopers Arms the pub is thought to have been renamed in the 1970s.

Speaking shortly after it shut Totton councillor David Harrison said: "The closure of a local pub like The Players represents a really worrying trend that's been happening nationally for some years.

"Pubs are more than just a place to drink alcohol. They're community hubs that allow people to meet up and enjoy a bit of social interaction.

"It's hard to quantify what this means in terms of quality of life, but if people have fewer chances to meet up it contributes to loneliness and isolation - and that has significant impacts on people's health."