Tug Gill Lathe between Kettlewell and Starbotton in Wharfedale can become a two-bedroom local occupancy dwelling following the Appeal Decision of a planning inspector who ruled that the barn conversion will not have a detrimental impact upon the character and appearance of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. In May last year the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority ’s (YDNPA ) planning committee refused an application by Margaret Rhodes to convert the barn.
The majority of the members accepted the planning officer’s assessment that the creation of a dwelling at Tug Gill Lathe would have a significantly harmful effect on the highly distinctive landscape of Upper Wharfedale due to its residential curtilage, car parking, external and internal lighting and other domestic usage.
The chairman of the YDNPA, Craven District councillor Carl Lis, commented then that if permission was granted for Tug Gill Lathe others could seek approval to convert barns in Wharfedale which were not as well hidden. “This is a step too far,” he said.
Another committee member, Ian McPherson, stated: “Once we set the precedent of allowing roadside barns in that kind of landscape [to be converted] then, in my view, we might just as well go home because we are not then fulfilling the first statutory purpose that the National Park is basically all about.”
Miss Rhodes’ agent, Robert Groves, told the committee: “A small respectful conversion as this one, occupied by the applicant who has a high respect for the landscape, can protect the environment and landscape better rather than, say, the barn reverting back to some other use or being derelict and the land slipping from being within the controlled schemes of Natural England to more unrestrained farming practices.”
The planning inspector stated: “I have considered the Council’s [YDNPA’s] argument that the grant of planning permission would create a precedent for other proposals. However, no directly similar sites were put forward and the particular characteristics and location of the site are readily distinguishable.“
In my opinion the proposed additions and alterations comprise the minimum necessary to enable the conversion to proceed and in other regards the external appearance of the appeal site would remain largely unaltered. The proposal would conserve the landscape and scenic beauty of the National Park and would also preserve the character and appearance of the existing building.”
He added that Natural England had stated that there would be no adverse impact upon the Upper Wharfedale Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in which the barn is situated, nor on the River Wharfe SSSI nearby.
There will be a legal agreement so that it remains a local occupancy dwelling, and the conditions include compliance with the plans and the removal of permitted development rights so that the YDNPA retains control over any future development.