A FARMING family’s application for planning permission for a holiday let on their tenant farm between Lewdown and Bridestowe has been turned down reluctantly after councillors found their hand forced by their own planning rules against ‘unsustainable’ development.

Councillors on West Devon Borough Council’s development management and licensing committee voted seven for to three against to back the planning officer’s refusal of the Spooncer family’s application at Foxcombe Farm. Many did reluctantly, wanting to support diversification of the farm business, after being told the application was ‘unsustainable’ against the Plymouth and South West Devon Local Plan, because it is outside a built up area and more than a mile from the nearest bus stop.

Cllr Terry Southcott, ward member for Bridestowe, covering the farm, had urged fellow councillors at Tuesday’s meeting to nonetheless support the application. He raised the anomaly of three units of holiday accommodation being permitted at another farm in the ward, Lower Ebsworthy at Bridestowe, in August even though there were the same concerns on its remote location. These were allowed on exception, because the plan involved converting existing barns.

He pointed out that the Spooncers, as tenants, had not been able to convert their barns as they are not owner occupiers. Instead, they had used timber cladding to revamp an exisiting portakabin to provide holiday accommodation.‘The main reason I have brought this in (to the committee) is there seems to be a disparity between an owner farmer who can do what they like and a tenant who is limited to what they can do,’ said Cllr Southcott. ‘At the end of the day, what it comes down to is that we as a council need to support farming and rural enterprise but the way the Joint Local Plan is written there is a big block on any development in the countryside. It seems to be too restricted.’

Farmer Helen Spooncer said her family needed the income from the holiday let to support themselves. ‘I understand farmers have always been encouraged to diversify, what has suddently changed?’ she said.

Cllr Ric Cheadle said the decision was ‘tricky’ because it pitted the need to support the rural economy against sustainability. ‘I come down on the side of supporting the rural economy,’ he said.

Cllr Mott, who represents the ward along with Cllr Southcott, said: ‘Cllr Southcott and I have had a long and in-depth discussion about this application and I fully support his reasons for bringing this through to the committee because I do feel that this needs looking at in the Joint Local Plan.’

Cllr Paul Vachon said he thought it was ‘pretty poor’ if the borough’s planning blueprint was ‘putting blocks’ on small-scale operations in the area.

Cllr Julie Yelland, chair of the committee, agreed, saying: ‘There is tension between the Joint Local Plan and supporting the local economy, and I feel this does need to be looked at.’