Sherlock Holmes house: Undershaw school plans proceed Published duration 30 March 2015

image copyright bbc image caption Conan Doyle wrote The Return of Sherlock Holmes and The Hound of the Baskervilles at Undershaw

Plans to turn Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's former home in Surrey into a school for children with disabilities will not be called in by the government.

Waverley council last month approved the plans but English Heritage objected and the scheme had to be referred to the secretary of state.

Both the council and government have confirmed plans will not be called in.

Conan Doyle wrote The Return of Sherlock Holmes and The Hound of the Baskervilles at Undershaw in Hindhead.

Norman Stromsoy, from Stepping Stones School, said work could now proceed.

Plans for the site include alterations to the existing building, the addition of a new two-storey extension and the demolition of a 1930s extension.

Stepping Stones School, which is nearby, wants to use the property as an upper school.

Mr Stromsoy said: "This decision will finally allow us to provide the desperately needed accommodation for our small special school."

He said Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts could be reassured Undershaw would be saved and its Grade II listing was not in doubt.

"We hope that by this time next year we will be welcoming them and our local community to visit," he added.