AFTER a three-year delay, Somerset Council planners have turned down an application to build a two-bedroom holiday cottage in the village of Stolford despite support for the project from Stogursey parish councillors and previous advice from the planning department.

Applicant Graham Cooper had been given planning permission to convert a dilapidated and unused barn in Gorpit Lane, Stolford, into a holiday let, but later applied instead to demolish the barn and build a holiday cottage.

Rejecting the application, Somerset Council interim planning director Bill Cotton said in a statement it was contrary to local and national planning and had to be refused.

For Mr Cooper, Darren Addicott, of APW Planning, said planning permission was previously granted to convert the barn to holiday accommodation in 2019 but the proposal did not go ahead due in part to the Covid 19 pandemic.

Mr Addicott said the proposed new building would reflect the scale of the original and was limited to a single storey on an L-shape footprint.

It would contain two bedrooms, a bathroom, open plan kitchen, dining and lounge space, and a games room.

Mr Addicott said that before applying for planning permission his client discussed the principle of a rebuild with the council’s planning department.

A case officer had advised it could be worth considering a full planning application to rebuild the currently approved holiday let.

The proposed scale of development was considered to be comparable with the potential to extend the existing barn.

Mr Cooper was told that given the new building’s scale and design it would have no adverse impact on the character or appearance of the area.

Mr Addicott said: “On that basis, this application seeks to provide a more energy-efficient build.

“This design and scale are consistent with the advice provided by the planning department and would complement the existing types of holiday lets available in the area.”

Rejecting the application, Mr Cotton said the proposal would result in a holiday let business in an unsustainable rural location, away from services and facilities.

Visitors would be reliant on cars, which would conflict with local and national sustainability planning policies.

The development would also result in substantial harm to the significance of a heritage asset and its setting.

Mr Cotton said: “The site is located within the open countryside where development is only permitted in exceptional circumstances where the proposal is beneficial for the community and local economy.

“It is considered that, due to the location and scale of the development, it would not provide a substantial benefit to the local economy sufficient to outweigh the other policy objections.

“It is therefore considered contrary to the West Somerset Local Plan.”

Mr Cotton said Somerset Council had ‘worked in a positive and creative way with the applicant and has looked for solutions to enable the grant of planning permission. However in this case the applicant was unable to satisfy the key policy test and as such the application has been refused’.