A PLANNING inspector has warned that beautiful views of a picturesque village from the River Deben would be ruined by new holiday accommodation at a pub.
A PLANNING inspector has warned that beautiful views of a picturesque village from the River Deben would be ruined by new holiday accommodation at a pub.
The Government inspector has turned down an appeal by Pubmaster Ltd which was seeking to overturn a decision by Suffolk Coastal District Council.
The council had refused permission for the erection of three single-storey buildings with six letting bedrooms and alterations to the car park at the Maybush pub, Cliff Road, Waldringfield, near Woodbridge.
The inspector decided that the council had taken the right decision and he warned that the holiday homes would appear incongruous and excessively prominent.
He was also worried that the three units would result in the loss of at least three trees protected by a Tree Preservation Order and that there would be pressure to remove or drastically prune a hedge.
He said this would open up the magnificent river view for visitors. But the inspector added: ''Loss of the green screen and the resultant prominence to the proposed units would cause severe detriment to views from and across the river, where the tree-lined riverbanks were a key feature of the area.''
He said it was evident that there was an economic argument for the proposed holiday homes but he did not consider this strong enough to outweigh the harm to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The district council had said that the development was in the countryside, outside the physical limits of Waldringfield, and was contrary to policy which restricted development to agriculture, forestry and horticulture.
Waldringfield Hut Owners Ltd objected on behalf of 26 hut owners and said the concerns included the generation of extra traffic and the loss of car parking by the pub.
Pubmaster had argued that Suffolk Coastal's policy supported tourism facilities. The proposed development would not intrude into the surrounding landscape and it would be screened by existing boundary vegetation, said the company.
richard.smith@eadt.co.uk
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