A commercial building on a Norton Lindsey farm may need to be pulled down after council planners refused a retrospective planning application for it to be built.

Plans submitted to Warwick District Council (WDC) revealed a timber barn at Lower Norton Farm had been demolished to make way for the new structure without permission being granted for the works.

The former equine yard has since been used to service, repair and sell vans, trailers, cars and more.

Permission had previously been given for a different part of the site to be used for that purpose, but WDC has decided it is not appropriate for the business to have moved to the new spot without permission.

"The site in question for the retrospective change of use was an equine yard with gravel yard to its frontage," the application explained. 

"The stable building has been demolished and a new steel portal framed commercial building has been erected with four workshop bays, office, toilets, staff room and storage. 

"The yard is gravelled and the site has been increased in size in a southern direction."

As well as retrospective permission for the new building, the application sought to move the spot previously approved for the business to the new location, arguing the access off Henley Road would remain the same.

It continued: "The site is on an existing site that is not domestic or agricultural, is well screened from the road and provides for employment with the existing workforce. 

"The access remains unchanged and is already being used for commercial use and domestic, the traffic loading will remain unchanged. 

"This assessment concludes that there will be no direct impact on the access, the area of commercial site use will decrease and be moved from a domestic residence, there is no loss of or damage to the surrounding area.

"Due to the nature of the application being retrospective and relocating an existing use and giving employment we respectfully ask that the district council find in favour of the application."

Permission for the commercial site had previously been granted for elsewhere on the farm (image via planning application)

Calls for Enforcement Action

However the application for the green belt site did not find favour with Norton Lindsey Parish Council, which submitted an objection.

Parish councillors called for it to be refused and for "enforcement action [to be] taken to return the site to its former state".

"The applicant has undertaken this development without proper regard to the planning process and appropriate community scrutiny," the objection said. 

"Whilst it is appreciated that cost may be incurred by the applicant if the application is refused, this should not be used as a basis for granting permission."

The parish council had not objected to the previous application for the other part of the site.

The objection concluded: "The previously issued certificate should therefore not be used as the basis of any permission for this new development, it is not appropriate for it to be 'transferred' to a different area and building(s) as the applicant seeks, but rather full planning permission should be sought and the new application judged afresh."

'Harmful' Assessment

Council planners sided with the parish council and refused the application.

A council report said the new commercial building was not comparable to the former barn, saying it is four times bigger in terms of floor area and 561 per cent bigger in terms of volume.

"The proposed commercial building is not considered to constitute appropriate development in the green belt, and is harmful by definition," the report continued. 

"The building has a greater impact on openness owing to its height and overall bulk and mass.

"No very special circumstances have been presented or are considered to exist which would outweigh the harm identified."

The applicant has the right to appeal the decision.

See the full application here.