Holiday "Treehouse" in Herefordshire refused

A renewed attempt by a Herefordshire farm to get permission for a “treehouse” accommodating up to eight holiday guests has again been refused.

The two-storey timber structure was to sit on raised piles yet be wheelchair-accessible, according to the proposal submitted by Nic Cox of the 570-acre Chanstone Court Farm, Vowchurch in the Golden Valley.

This would have put it “close to existing tourism hotspots such as Hay-on-Wye and the Black Mountains”, a statement with his application said.

Built of timber sawn and milled on the estate, it was to stand on what is currently unproductive farmland beside Chanstone Woods, a designated site of special scientific interest (SSSI).

Plans show it would have had an open-plan living area, two bedrooms, an extensive outdoor deck and access ramp on the ground floor, with stairs up to a further bedroom with its own balcony.

Vowchurch parish councillors said that following a visit to the site, they were “fairly happy” with the plans, appreciating the “care taken to hide the building which will blend in well in future years” thanks to tree planting. There were no public objections.

But despite the application’s description, planning officer Laura Smith considered the proposed building “in essence a large detached three-bedroom dwellinghouse” which should be treated as such for planning purposes – in contrast to the existing “glamping” business already at the farm.

Even with the new design being lower and longer than in the previous refused application, and with the proposed screening, “the building is still considered to be dominant”, she said.

It was in an “unsustainable” location far from a settlement and hence access to services, and information on sewage treatment was lacking, Ms Smith added.

The application for full planning permission was refused.