A PLANNING appeal over a rejected bid to build garages in Hankerton has been dismissed.

Mark Peart has lost a planning bid in February 2021 to build garages on land at Cherry Tree Cottage in Cloatley End.

Mr Peart, who lives at Cherry Tree Cottage, planned to replace three dilapidated garages at the property and change the use of the field to allow for garages to be built.

In rejecting the plans, council officers said the plans were out of keeping with the cottage and the area as a whole.

An appeal was later launched in a bid to overturn the local authority’s decision.

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Planning inspector, Alexander O’Doherty said that the proposed garage would complement the cottage and the landscaping would be appropriate for the location.

Mr O’Doherty also said that the size of the structure would be comparable to other garages in the area, but that it would be a “particularly tall and wide structure”.

“The combination of its scale, bulk and massing would create an overly-large building in visual terms, in comparison with Cherry Tree Cottage,” they added.

“The Council have referred to the wider context, but due to the scale of the proposal the harmful impacts identified would be confined to the local area, and it would have a neutral effect on the wider landscape.

“In this respect, the proposal would comply with Core Policy 51 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy which provides that, amongst other things, development should protect, conserve and where possible enhance landscape character.

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“Even so, this does not set aside the harm that the proposal would cause to the character and appearance of the local area, identified above.

“I therefore find that the proposal would have an unacceptable and harmful effect on the character and appearance of the host property and the area.”