A NOVEL application to site a railway sleeping carriage on part of a former railway station to use as a couple's guest accommodation has been granted planning permission.
West Devon Borough Council's planning committee voted in favour of the proposal by Mr and Mrs A Lear which they felt would 'add a certain charm' to the historic location known as Ashbury Station near Okehampton.
Planning officers said the modern and utilitarian-designed carriages would be intrusive in the countryside and recommended the application for refusal.
But committee members described the plan as creative, imaginative and eccentric and said it added to the character of the area.
The applicants wished to use the carriage for extra storage and overnight accommodation for family and friends, the committee was told, and site a small diesel locomotive in their grounds.
Officers said the area was clearly visible from the road between Broadbury Castle and Northlew and the 'novelty value' was not sufficient to outweigh intrusive development.
Cllr Sonia Lindsay said Ashbury Station was 'a delightful place' with a redundant railway building that still looked like a station.
She said the only people the proposal would affect would be those living in the Station House and they had not objected.
'If you see an engine and a carriage from a railway bridge passing a railway yard, I feel you should not be unduly offended by it — in my opinion it would add rather than detract from the character of the area,' said Miss Lindsay.
Cllr Dennis Bater said it was a great loss to the village when the station went and he could understand how dear it was to the hearts of local people to keep this piece of history alive.
'We should allow for a measure of eccentricity and diversity in the countryside — it is what makes this country so rich,' added Cllr Noel Cartwright.
'I believe this will add a certain charm to the area.'