A man who used to live in a caravan can now convert all of the adjoining stables into a home in Gower, following the intervention of a planning inspector.
Robert McCulloch thought he would get planning permission from Swansea Council after a favourable response at an early stage in the planning process.
But when he submitted a detailed planning application, the council turned it down. Mr McCulloch appealed, and the refusal decision has been overturned. He can now also claim costs against the authority.
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Mr McCulloch bought the small-holding where he lives, near Parkmill, in 1998. He got planning consent to build stables there seven years later, and then moved from his caravan into part of them in 2012. In 2018, despite objections, he satisfied the council that he had lived in part of the stables for more than four years and was granted a certificate of lawful existing use, meaning he could carry on living there.
Two years ago he sought advice from the council about converting the remaining part of the L-shaped stable block into two bedrooms and a bathroom to make his dwelling more suitable for family living. The planning department said on balance that this proposal was appropriate and "would likely receive a favourable officer recommendation", but rejected it last April when Mr McCulloch submitted a full application.
Planning officers who turned down the application said it was unjustified residential development because the section to be converted wasn't part of the stable block covered by the lawful existing certificate. They also said the scheme would exacerbate the impact of the building on the surrounding countryside.
Welsh Government-appointed planning inspector Paul Selby disagreed. He said the stable area which Mr McCulloch wanted to convert was part of the original stables, and that the proposal would only lead to "a modest increase" in the size of his home. Mr Selby added that the building was well screened.
On the matter of costs, he said that although the favourable response provided by the council at the pre-application stage was advisory, "the council’s decision to refuse planning permission was unreasonable and resulted in an appeal which should not have been necessary, causing the applicant to incur unnecessary expense".
Councils only face costs when they are deemed to have acted unreasonably. Mr Selby invited Mr McCulloch to submit details of his costs to the council with a view to reaching an agreement about the amount payable.
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