COUNCILLORS in Calstock want plans for two large homes at a picturesque spot in the village to be rejected, claiming they would be a ?blot on the landscape?. Anne Dean has applied for consent to build the four-bedroomed homes in the gardens of Rosehill House, Higher Kelly, which used to house a market gardening business. The location, high above the banks of the River Tamar, is in a designated ?Open Area of Local Significance? and was a ?very special site?, councillors were told at their meeting last week. Local resident William Baker said this was one of the few areas where people could view the river right down to Cotehele Quay. Building on that land would obliterate the views, he said. ?These houses are effectively three-storey ? rooms will be built into the roof but they are still quite big. ?Many people walk along here to see the views and I believe they are worth protecting,? he said. ?With the recent granting of the World Heritage Site status, the importance of this area has become even greater.? A planning application for one house in a different part of the garden was refused by Caradon District Council two years ago because it was incompatible with its surroundings and its prominence would be harmful to the conservation area, the authority said. Mr Baker said he had contacted the office of the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to raise concerns about the proposal, but staff said they did not usually comment on planning applications in villages. Members of the parish council said the AONB should be concerned about this proposal. Cllr Norma Greenslade said: ?These are going to be very big houses and they will be a blot on the landscape.? The council also raised objections on traffic grounds. Planning consultants Rogers and Haynes from Plymouth are working as agents for the applicant. One of the company?s director, Tom Rogers, said the development site was in a part of the garden occupied by a number of dilapidated glass houses associated with the former marker gardening business. He said: ?The application two years ago was a re-submission of a proposal which had previously been approved but planning permission had lapsed. ?The whole garden is within the development boundary of Calstock and this new application will be considered on its own merits.? The application will be decided by Caradon District Council.
