Self-build plan at scenic spot refused

A planned one-of-a-kind self-built home at a Herefordshire village has been refused permission.

Steve, Susan and Philip Dixon applied in May last year to build a single-storey, one-bedroom house in a field beside Cherry Tree Farm, Gorsley between Ross-on-Wye and Newent.

Taking inspiration from a “tumbledown” stone sheep pen, the house was to be partly recessed into the slope of the field, with a planted roof and covered carport.

There were no objections from Herefordshire Council’s highways officer or from official consultees.

But Linton Parish Council said the field was outside the village’s official settlement boundary, and as such it was “strongly opposed to any unhelpful precedent being set” by permitting such a development.

Ten residents also submitted objections. One, Jordan Lewis, pointed out that the impact on views to and from nearby Linton Ridge and from neighbouring historic properties was among reasons why an earlier proposal to develop the field was rejected.

Planning officer Joshua Evans acknowledged that by using traditional materials, including local stone and metal sheeting, the house “would harmonize with the existing material palette of the surrounding area”.

But he concluded that “residential development in rural areas outside settlements is restricted to proposals meeting specific criteria, none of which are satisfied in this case”.

The view towards Linton Ridge is also given special protection in the local neighbourhood development plan – “potentially a reason why this land was excluded from the settlement boundary”, he pointed out.

Full planning permission was refused.