A Penrith businessman in charge of an award-winning local housing company has been refused planning permission to build his own home.
Steve Atkinson, director of Atkinsons, was turned down by Eden local area planning committee sitting in Penrith on Wednesday, but plans to appeal and try again.
Mr Atkinson and council officers disagree over where the built-up area of Penrith ends and open countryside starts on Beacon Edge
Mr Atkinson wanted to build an environmentally-friendly property on a plot of land between the houses East Larches and Lynwood.
But it needed outline planning permission from Westmorland and Furness Council for access.
The planning officer’s recommendation to the committee was to refuse on the basis that the built-up boundary of Penrith stops at East Larches, and any development beyond that is in green belt.
Mr Atkinson argued that is not the case and Penrith Town Council agreed with him.
Mr Atkinson called on the committee to conduct a site visit before making a decision, although this was not taken up.
Mr Atkinson told them: “Believe it or not, it’s the first time I’ve actually spoken here, even though I’ve been in business 40 years. I feel I do know Penrith pretty well, and this seems to fall down to whether we believe this site is in Penrith or not.
“One house would sit perfectly in that area and would still leave plenty of space around it,” said Mr Atkinson.
“It’s clear that there’s already development to either side and there’s already houses further on in Penrith than that.”
Penrith Town Council regarded the land between East Larches and Lynwood as an infill site.
That puts it within the settlement of Penrith and not open countryside, where new housing developments can be refused.
Mr Atkinson said: “If the town council think that it’s in Penrith and everybody else thinks it’s in Penrith, is it this particular officer who doesn’t know the area as well as the town council?”
Mark Lynch, development manager for Westmorland and Furness Council, said a council officer involved had 17 years of experience working in Penrith and knew the site well.
Mr Lynch said the site lay outside the built-up area of Penrith in an area where housing was more scattered and interspersed by fields, so a new house would create a marked change in the rural character of the area.
He said the Local Plan did support infill developments but in smaller villages and hamlets, and only when the new development proposed was in a scale and proportion sensitive to the site.
Of a site visit, Mr Lynch asked councillors: “What would you gain from that that you haven’t gained from the slides presented this morning?”
Mike Eyles (Lib Dem, Penrith East) supported the refusal, seconded by Neil McCall (Lib Dem, Eden and Lyvennet Vale). Colin Atkinson (Con, Hesket and Lazonby) disagreed.
He said: “It’s one house, well back from the road. Would it be out of place? I don’t think so.” The committee voted 6-1 to refuse.
The council’s Local Plan failed to define where Penrith started and ended, said Mr Atkinson.
In addition, an area directly south of the site had been earmarked for potential local housing — further extending the edge of Penrith — but councillors were told new housing there was in doubt and by no means guaranteed.
