Stuckton holiday homes appeal dismissed (From Salisbury Journal)

Stuckton holiday homes appeal dismissed

10:00am Saturday 2nd March 2013 in Headlines By Miranda Robertson

A PLANNING inspector has turned down an appeal over holiday homes being used for longer rentals after concluding no effort had been made to market them.

New Forest District Council planners had previously refused to alter a condition on new holiday homes in Stuckton, allowing them to be lived in for more than four weeks at a time.

They and Hyde Parish Council both said the homes, converted from the old post office and bakery in Stuckton Road, should only be used for short holiday lets all year round, as was agreed when planning permission was granted in 2011.

But owner Bernard l’Anson said he wanted the four-week condition to only apply during the busier holiday period between Easter Monday and September 30 because “the buildings are underused”.

He launched his appeal after advertising one of the homes for rent on the websites Prime Location and Right Move, at £825 a month – the lettings agent was unaware of the planning condition restricting the use of the property.

Another of the holiday homes was already being let, said the district council, with its occupant having a year’s tenancy, in direct contravention of the planning conditions.

Posthouse conversion Permission was granted to convert the main posthouse building into a residential dwelling and a holiday home and the old bakery into two holiday homes in 2011 and the development has only just been finished.

But conditions were attached that the three holiday homes could only be occupied by the same people for up to four weeks.

Hyde Parish Council has said it wants the current conditions maintained, as longer lets would be “inappropriate” for the area.

And district planners say: “If all units were used for residential purposes for six months of each year this would not be acceptable in this countryside location.”

Dismissing the appeal, Inspector Simon Hand said: “I think it is clear that to reduce the stock of self-catering accommodation for half the year would not be in accord with CS19 (a New Forest planning policy aimed at boosting tourism).

“It certainly would not be encouraging tourism or enhancing existing facilities and so the proposal is contrary to the council’s core strategy.”

He added: “There is no evidence that there would be any difficulty in letting the houses for tourism during the off-season; indeed it would appear that no attempt has been made to do so.

“As the New Forest is a busy tourist area there is no reason to assume it would be difficult to let the houses off-season, especially during the school holiday periods.”