This places a number of restrictions on the construction of new buildings and the demolition of existing structures; however the Council have made an exception in the case of the tower block attached to South Stoneham House, which "may be considered for demolition by the University within the plan period." In the 1990s South Stoneham House was merged into the Wessex Lane Halls complex of residences, although each individual hall maintained an individual character. Residents were catered for and ate originally in South Stoneham's own dining hall, part of the 1960s extension, and later in the Galley Restaurant in the neighbouring Connaught Hall. Residents shared small kitchen and bathroom facilities. In 2002 the accommodation in the tower was criticised - partly due to overcrowding, but also regarding the state of the building itself, with inhabitants living in what the "Daily Telegraph" described as "damp and squalid conditions". The complex was last fully occupied in 2005, but was partially occupied until 2009 with the dining hall staying in use until 2015. Much controversy has surrounded the continuous use of South Stoneham Tower and in 1997 a large wooden collar was added to the base of the tower to prevent crumbling concrete falling onto staff and students below. The tower's construction and its extensive use of asbestos mean that decommission and deconstruction has provided a technical stumbling block to redevelopment of the South Stoneham site. Physical disassembly would be hugely expensive, while explosives cannot be used due to the proximity of private houses and the Grade II* listed original building. Indeed, because the tower and kitchen/dining hall complex are physically linked to the original house by a glazed connection, the whole site, including the tower, shares the listed building status. Nevertheless, the University commissioned a firm of architects to create a listed building consent application for the tower and the kitchen and dining hall complex to be demolished with the resulting report being published in 2004. The application stated that the demolition was part of a "master plan" which "seeks to establish the reinstatement of South Stoneham House to a standard befitting its Listed Building status. The key part of the master plan is to refurbish and change the use of the Listed Building [to enable it to function] as a conference facility." The application stated that this would replace the University's conference centre at Chilworth Manor. To pay for the demolition of the 1960s extension, the consent application indicated that the University planned to sell off another part of the current South Stoneham estate, currently occupied by a tennis court and caretakers' house, for a residential scheme comprising 65 flats.