PLANNING permission for the change of use of an historic Quantocks Hills public house to holiday accommodation has been quashed by a High Court judge.

It follows the Free Press exposing how the former Somerset West and Taunton Council (SWT) unlawfully approved an application by the owner of the Blue Ball Inn, Triscombe.

An SWT planning officer and then-planning committee chairman Cllr Simon Coles gave consent for the 400-year-old pub to be converted to a ‘Sleeps 12’ holiday let.

But SWT had received 14 letters of objection from local residents, West Bagborough Parish Council, and management of the Quantock Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, meaning the application should have been put to the authority’s planning committee meeting.

SWT was then left to apply to the High Court to overturn the decision taken by Cllr Coles and the officer.

The district council was abolished in April and succeeded by the unitary Somerset Council, which this week was told the High Court application had been successful.

A Somerset Council spokeswoman told the Free Press: “The judicial review of the decision initiated by the former Somerset West and Taunton Council was successful.

“It means the planning application can now be considered for re-determination by members of the new planning committee west set up by Somerset Council.”

The application is expected to be reconsidered at the committee’s meeting on July 18.

Cllr Coles, who was both a SWT and county councillor, now serves on the unitary authority and continues to be chairman of the west planning committee.