RESIDENTS and councillors in Wiveliscombe have branded a new ‘rural hotel with helipad’ which sprang up after planning permission was given to convert an agricultural building into a few basic rooms, as “underhand and disgraceful” and “a flagrant abuse of the planning system”.

Owners of the site on the Bulland Estate, on land south of New Road, Wiveliscombe, were given planning permission in 2018 to convert the building into a modest single-storey one for the Bulland Shoot.

It was to include a store, beaters’ room, kitchen, boot room, two reception rooms and shower/ toilet.

Instead, a whole new floor with eight bedrooms, external stairs and windows, plus a helipad, have sprung up, and residents have complained of almost daily helicopter landings and take-offs that have been going on since September.

The owner applied for a variation to the original plan in November, but a decision has not yet been given, although a target decision of January 23 was shown on Somerset West and Taunton Deane (SWAT) planning website.

Although the application was still showing yesterday (January 29), Wiveliscombe district Cllr David Mansell told the Free Press he understood it was being withdrawn and a new planning application would be submitted instead.

The applicant is listed as Mr J Ball, and the correspondent is Rodway Planning Consultancy.

Wiveliscombe Town Council and a number of local residents have strongly objected to the current application.

“What has been built is completely different to what was applied for,” Cllr Mansell said.

“There is a whole new floor, they are using it differently, particularly with the helicopters, and the way the planning application has been submitted is underhand and disgraceful.

“It has been said the people behind this are land developers, so they are not people who do not understand the planning system.

“They did not provide details of what their intentions were. Building a whole new floor is not a minor variation by any means. They have now got a significant shooting lodge built on the edge of Wivey, and all the disturbance resulting from that, with helicopters flying regularly over the town.”

He said they were very noisy, with up to three helicopters landed at one time, even though there was only one helipad. The noise of the shoot could also be heard in the town.

“I can hear it inside my house, and there are others a lot closer than us. I know they are very unhappy with what is happening. There was no indication from the original application and [the recent application] had the barest of details.”

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For the full report, see tomorrow’s Free Press.