TWO EXISTING horse shelters have been granted planning permission in Mary Tavy, despite reservations that they do not fit into the moorland landscape.

Dartmoor National Park Authority granted retrospective permission for the open-fronted shelters for two horses and two donkeys which graze the land at Holditch Farm at Mary Tavy.

The decision was made despite the DNPA landscape officer’s report which said the shelters had an adverse impact on the character of the local landscape.

The report said the shelters ran contrary to the DNPA planning policy by not conserving or enhancing the character, quality and tranquillity of the national park.

The officer’s report went on to say that the shelters were said to conflict with the pastoral character of fields, by being out of place.

They therefore, contrasted with areas of heath and moorland with the characteristic strong pattern of medieval fields marked by prominent Devon hedgebanks and drystone walls.

Also, they were not clustered with other buildings, as was typical of the farm and other buildings, and were unenclosed by existing ancient boundaries.

However, despite the reservations, planners concluded the shelters should be approved because they were modest in size and without permanent foundations.

They also agreed the shelters were ‘loosely’ grouped with each other, therefore, they complied with the local plan and avoided negative impact on the landscape.

Despite the landscape report, permission was granted on condition they were only used for sheltering grazing animals.

If grazing of the field stops at any time then the shelters must be taken down and they should not be put to any aternative use.

Two bird boxes and and two water butts should also be fitted as promised biodiversity measures.