A LEADING opponent to plans for a wedding venue in a tranquil beauty spot and wildlife haven at Grenofen said this week a decision to turn down the proposal had reinforced his faith in decisions made by West Devon Borough Council.

The application to change the use and part domestic curtilage to a wedding ceremony and reception venue at Ever After, Lower Grenofen, was refused by the council's planning committee by six votes to one with two abstentions, despite officers' recommendation to grant a temporary consent for three years

Traffic concerns on the narrow approach road, which is also a bridleway, lack of parking and noise impact were the reasons for rejecting the plans, a decision which received a round of applause from the group of opponents who came to the meeting with protest placards and banners.

Opponent Stefan Amery said the single track lane access to the site, which was in the AONB and adjoined Dartmoor National Park and a Site of Special Scientific Interest, was the biggest issue and it would have caused problems for anyone trying to get from the top to the bottom of the lane and emergency vehicles with just two passing places.

'Horses and noises do not mix and despite there being 57 horses stabled within two miles of the site no rider would have gone near that bridlepath from May to September if there was a wedding venue there,' he said.

'I feel justice has been seen to be done here and it has reinforced my faith in decisions made by the council.'

Owner of Ever After Nicola Evans said she and her husband had owned the site and 100 acres of surrounding woodland for 12 years and had seen the decline of the natural habitat since the Right to Roam Act had come in a few years ago. The area had public access and was used for everything from swimming to barbecues.

She said they did not receive any money to manage the woods and a great deal of effort and money went into looking after the area from picking up litter to clearing up dog mess.

Mrs Evans said the wedding venue would pay towards managing the woodland and bring financial benefits to the area in terms of the use of B&Bs, florists, caterers and so on.

No objections were raised by the County Highways authority subject to a workable travel plan being submitted and ward member Cllr David Cloke said he supported the application. He said the area had been used to traffic with a factory and a nightclub both operating in the past as well as mining operations and agriculture and he supported rural diversity.

The committee was told that among the abundance of wildlife identified in ecological surveys there were seven species of bats recorded on the site.

Cllr Terry Pearce said he understood that looking after a large area of woodland was a demanding job but he was concerned about the noise which would be amplified in this tranquil spot and the traffic.

'I note that the highways engineer does not have a problem with it but looking at a previous application for the site the highways officer was horrified,' he said.

Councillors said there was no guarantee that a minibus transporting people to and from the site would be used by the wedding-goers and 19 parking spaces was inadequate to cater for the guests.'

Members were satisfied that the economical benefits of the application did not outweigh the environmental impact it would have.

A total of 83 letters of objection were submitted to the planning authority and 45 in support.