The go-ahead has been given for weddings to be held at an historic house in Sandwich despite protests.

Neighbours living near The Salutation complained the marriages in the grounds and part of the Grade 1 listed building would create traffic chaos and noise.

The district council’s planning committee members disagreed and gave permission for the home to host weddings.

Salutation owner Dominic Parker told councillors: “We don’t want to upset the neighbours.”

He said £2million had been spent restoring the house and grounds and the project had nearly been finished.

Neighbours complained about a summer wedding at the house last year and said lorries unloading and loading at the property, as well as taxis, caused traffic chaos and pollution.

They also claimed big trucks parked in the surrounding narrow streets could have blocked access of emergency vehicles.

Objectors also complained the weddings would create too much loud noise on summer weekends.

Michael Dawson, the district council’s head of development and public protection, said the planning application had attracted “considerable public interest.”

He described The Salutation in Knightrider Street as an extremely important building and said the gardens were superb.

“You don’t maintain a property like this very easily. It is important it has a viable use.”

Mr Dawson added that if wedding music did cause a nuisance the council could take enforcement action, which would be a safeguard against possible complaints about noise.

The Salutation was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1912, who also created the garden with Gertrude Jekyll.