'Blot on the landscape' holiday huts plan refused
RCBCResidents of a tiny hamlet have seen off a proposal to use converted railway carriages and a shepherd's hut as holiday accommodation.
Several residents living in the vicinity of Hummersea, in East Cleveland, a stretch of protected coastline north of Loftus, objected and spoke against the plans.
There were whoops and applause when members of Redcar and Cleveland Council's regulatory committee agreed with the officer's recommendation to reject a change of use for land at Springhouse Farm.
Councillor Stuart Smith, who chairs the committee, said the proposal was akin to a "blot on the landscape".
Some councillors argued it would fulfil a need for holiday accommodation, but the overwhelming view was that such a development would spoil the character and appearance of the area, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
The Labour-led council's development services manager Claire Griffiths said the railway carriages, some of which were already being used for storage purposes on a different part of the site, were an "incongruous feature" and harmed the heritage coastline.
The meeting was told the site was currently visible from public footpaths, including the nearby Cleveland Way.
Investment and tourism
One resident said it was a "quiet rural area" and such a venture would increase noise and general disturbance, along with traffic on narrow country lanes, while another spoke of the "unacceptable impact" on a protected landscape.
Bradley Stovell, a planning agent representing the applicant, said an officer's conclusion of a significant detrimental impact on the character and appearance of the area was "absurd".
He said: "Converted railway carriages and shepherd's huts can be seen all over the UK countryside, even in sensitive areas like national parks and areas of outstanding beauty."
He added the proposal would bring investment and a tourist facility.
But committee member Vera Rider said what already existed on the site was an "absolute eyesore".
Councillors voted unanimously to refuse the application.
