A SHEPHERD’S hut which has stood in the corner of an Exmoor field for nearly ten years may have to be removed because planners say it is harmful to the landscape.

At its meeting last week, Exmoor National Park Authority was told that an enforcement notice had been served on Elizabeth England, owner of the land at Larkbarrow Corner, Exford, to remove the hut. The notice took effect on November 1.

Head of planning and sustainable development Dean Kinsella told members in a report that the hut caused “unacceptable landscape harm” and recommended that a planning application to retain it should be refused.

However, authority members decided to defer a decision on the application until they have been to see the hut for themselves.

Mr Kinsella said the hut was for the private leisure use of the applicant and was not necessary for the management of the land.

He said that it had been necessary to issue an enforcement notice because the hut had been in the field for nine years and 11 months.

Under an ‘immunity rule’, action could not be taken once it had been on the land for ten years, but the authority’s attention was drawn to the hut shortly before the time limit was up.

Members heard that the 3.5 metre-high hut was set on a timber chassis with iron wheels and covered in green-painted corrugated metal sheeting. It contained a wood-burner, a fold-down table and a seat/bed.

It was on the edge of a 44-acre holding consisting of pasture, rough grazing and woodland and was used by Mrs England and her family for occasional shelter when visiting the land and enjoying the countryside.

She now sought planning permission so that she could keep the hut for private family use.

Mr Kinsella said that the application was supported by Exmoor Parish Council, which pointed out that the hut had been on the land for nearly ten years and had never been a problem.

Parish councillors had also asked why the matter had been brought to their attention, because they believed permission was not required for a movable structure.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

There were also 21 letters of support, pointing out that the hut blended with the landscape and was largely shielded from view, and that the applicant was a good neighbour and an Exmoor supporter.