Case Officer: Mr Nils White Parish: Holbeton

Application No : 25/1627/13/F

Agent/Applicant: Applicant: Mrs A Burden Mr M Hockin Luscombe Maye c/o agent 59 Fore Street Totnes TQ9 5NJ

Site Address: Agricultural building at SX 6016 5031, Luson, Holbeton

Development: Erection of general purpose agricultural building, restoration of historic coach drive along with a new access.

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Reason item is being put before Committee: The Chairman of the DM Committee has requested that the application be decided in this forum. There has been a long delay in the determination of this application; it was previously allocated to 2 other case officers who subsequently left the employment of the Council. Four letters of support have been received meaning that the application could not be refused under officers’ delegated powers.

Recommendation: Refusal

Reasons for refusal:

• The proposal would have a harmful impact on the landscape character of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Key issues for consideration: The development site lies in a secluded valley in the South Devon AONB. It is directly adjacent to the remains of the historic drive that led to Membland Hall and the Grade II listed Bull and Bear Lodge stands at the top of the field.

The proposal would involve construction of a new approach road through the field and, in part, following the line of the historic track.

The new building would be an industrial shed, but there would be associated landscaping, including reinstatement of the historic hedgerows.

The applicant states that there is a need for the building in order to farm the land as a single unit due to inaccessibility of the main farm group to large vehicles and insufficient buildings.

Site Description: The site is located within a field bisected by the historic drive that led to Membland Hall. In the northern corner stands Wonnell Lodge (Bull and Bear Lodge), which is Grade II listed. The famous gate piers are listed separately. The hamlet of Luson lies at the southern edge. Historically the field was further sub-divided and the lines of the hedges are still clearly visible. On three sides the field is bounded by lanes.

The Proposal: It is proposed to erect a general purpose farm building measuring 36m x 12m in plan and 7m high in a new yard adjacent to the drive. The drive itself would be 4.8m wide with a 3m wide verge on either side. An avenue of beech trees would be planted along the drive. The existing turf would be removed and a tarmac surface introduced. Access to the drive would be gained from the lane to the north-west of the field. As part of the development, two historic boundary hedgerows would be reinstated and further planting introduced around the new yard.

Consultations :

• County Highways Authority: recommend that:

1. The access road should be hardened, surfaced, drained and maintained for a distance of not less than 20m back from junction with the public highway. 2. Visibility splays should be provided, laid out and maintained for that purpose at the side access in accordance with details to be submitted and approved by the local planning authority. 3. The existing access should be effectively and permanently closed as soon as the new access is capable of use.

• Environmental Health Section No comments received

• Town/Parish Council: objection: 1. Building would be out of scale and character with existing landscape. 2. Building and driveway would be an isolated development and would not be related to any other buildings. 3. Creation of access would spoil rural character of area. 4. The size of the yard is inappropriate and disproportionate to the building. 5. Engineering works inappropriate with to character of rural area. 6. Proposed access road is not a restoration of historic drive. Object to use of post and rail fencing, beech tree lined avenue and tarmac surface. 7. Site is inappropriate for stated purposes of farming. Building would be better located closer to Brownstone Farm.

• Drainage Engineer: More information required regarding land drainage

• Council Ecologist: More information needed: a precautionary method statement for hedgerow removal and further mitigation measures for possible loss of dormouse habitat.

• Natural Environment and Recreation: Proposed development would not accord with the landscape character of the area as it would be isolated, would intrude into views, would harm the rural character and lead to loss of part of a hedgerow

• Agricultural Consultant: Accepts that the building would be reasonably required if the holding is farmed as proposed.

Representations:

Six letters of objection have been received. These raise the following issues:

1. The location is inappropriate for a building of this purpose. It should be closer to main farm 2. The industrial form of the building and associated engineering works would be harmful to the landscape character. 3. The access and new track would not respect the topography and would be harmful to the landscape character. 4. The proposed changes to the drive would not be a restoration, would destroy historic evidence and would be out of character with the landscape. 5. The change to the drive would confuse and devalue Wonnell Lodge.

Four letters of support have been received, based on agricultural need for the development.

Relevant Planning History

None recorded

ANALYSIS

Need for Building in this location The applicant has stated that the proposed, general-purpose, building is needed as there is currently no suitable agricultural building to serve the holding. Furthermore, the lanes that lead to the farm at Brownstone are very difficult to negotiate for lorries and modern farm machinery. The proposed new access would provide a short and direct route from a wider road for these vehicles on to the farm. Currently the land is farmed by various tenants; however, it is the applicant’s intention to farm the holding as a single unit.

The agricultural consultant has stated that, in the event that the land was farmed by the applicant or his son, or let to a single tenant under a Farm Business Tenancy, there would be a need for an appropriate building (or buildings) as the existing agricultural buildings at Brownstone Manor would be inadequate for the purpose. A building of the size proposed would be commensurate with a farm of this size. He acknowledges, however, that there are several places on the farm where the building could be built, including on land closer to Brownstone Manor.

Impact on Landscape. The site lies in the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and forms part of an attractive hidden valley centred on the hamlet of Luson. The erection of a large, utilitarian building in this location with associated access roads is not considered to conserve or enhance the quality, character or local distinctiveness of the natural environment as required in LDF Core Strategy policy CS9 and DPD policy DP2.

Furthermore, policy DP15 states that all new development in the countryside should be well related to an existing farmstead or group of buildings, or be located close to an established settlement.

The proposed development is situated within the Bigbury Bay Coastal Plateau characterised primarily as mixed farmland, the farmsteads themselves ‘nestled in dips’.

The strategy guidelines in the DCA assessment state that settlement forms are to be protected, as are historic features and landmarks.

The proposed 15m wide opening, involving removal of the hedgerow and the introduction of visibility splays, would significantly damage the rural character of the lane between Bull and Bear Lodge and Creacombe Cross. Meanwhile, the creation of a new drive and development of the existing drive as a new lane would also be incongruous in this location. The existing drive is bounded on both sides with wrought iron ‘estate’ fencing and is approximately 4.5m wide. The width of the new track would be similar at 4.8m wide; however, it would be lined with 3m wide verges on either side, which would be planted with trees. This 10.8m wide band would be defined by timber post and rail fencing. The track would be surfaced, partially or entirely, in tarmac. Far from being a restoration of the drive, therefore, the overall effect of this development would be to obscure its historic form and alignment.

While the reinstatement of hedgerows is welcomed, this benefit would not outweigh the harm caused by rest of the development.

Impact on Historic Environment Wonnell Lodge is a Grade II listed house set behind the imposing, Bull and Bear gate piers (listed separately in their own right), which marked the main north-eastern entrance to Membland Hall. The drive is still partially extant in this field, being defined by dilapidated, wrought iron estate fencing (and self-seeded hawthorn trees).

The drive itself is not listed and could be removed without the need for planning consent. While it is still clearly a ‘heritage asset’ its relationship to the lodge has largely been lost – a gate, fence and belt of tree planting now separate them. The relationship between the remains of the drive and the rear of the lodge are clearly visible from the lane below the field to the south. However, the lodge itself is largely concealed by mature trees and this was never intended to be the principal view of the building.

The widening, re-surfacing and partial diversion of the track would affect its legibility and involve destruction of historic fencing; however, given the current relationship of the lodge to the track, the setting is not considered to be harmed.

The new building would be located in a dip and, although it would obscure public views of the lodge from the south, is not considered to harm its setting for the reasons stated above.

Ecological Impact The Countryside and Community Projects Officer has stated that the proposed creation of hedgerows and planting have potential to improve the biodiversity of the site. However, a set of measures would need to be provided to mitigate the loss of the existing hedgerow habitat together with a method statement for its removal. The retention of the existing hawthorn trees along the former drive would be preferred.

Highways and Access While the Highways Department can support the proposal, their requirements, including visibility splays and tarmac surfacing 20m back from the entrance would increase the harmful impact of the proposal on the rural character of the area.

Conclusion The proposed development is considered to be unsympathetic to a highly sensitive location due to its impact on the natural and historic environment. The cumulative effect of the new lane, the access to it, the new building and associated landscaping works would amount to an unsympathetic development of what is currently an attractive and historic site. It is therefore recommended that the application be refused.

This application has been considered in accordance with Section 38 of the Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and with Section 66 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

Planning Policy

South Hams LDF Core Strategy CS7 Design CS9 Landscape and Historic Environment CS10 Nature Conservation

Development Policies DPD DP1 High Quality Design DP2 Landscape Character DP5 Conservation and Wildlife DP6 Historic Environment DP7 Transport, Access & Parking DP15 Development in the Countryside

Considerations under Human Rights Act 1998 and Equalities Act 2010 The provisions of the Human Rights Act 1998 and Equalities Act 2010 have been taken into account in reaching the recommendation contained in this report.