PLANS to install cricket nets at an independent school in Milton Abbas are set to be refused due to concerns about the impact they would have on the school’s historic setting.

The recommendation that an application from Milton Abbey School be turned down comes despite the proposal being supported by Historic England.

A decision on whether or not to grant permission will be made at the meeting of North District Council’s planning committee on May 22.

Submitted by the school, the application seeks permission to install new nets after the previous set were removed after being damaged by a storm in 2014.

The proposal has been supported by Milton Abbas Parish Council on the condition that plants are used to screen the nets, however district council planning officers said that this would disrupt the setting of the listed buildings at the school and its Capability Brown-designed grounds and have recommended that the committee refuse the application.