THE CONVERSION of a modern barn on the outskirts of a Purbeck village into three homes has been turned down.

Residents and the parish council feared that the homes would be unaffordable for local families and become second homes - and could lead to the 'creep' of housing outside the village boundary.

Dorset Council decided the partial demolition and conversion of Worth Barn at Worth Matravers for Poole-based County Gates Developments Ltd would be out of keeping in the Dorset National Landscape area (previously known as Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.) The company had proposed three homes each with four bedrooms, balconies and large windows, partially using timber cladding and some Purbeck stone at ground floor level, with nine parking spaces between them.

Ward councillor Cherry Brooks said that while she liked the design she was concerned the new homes were more likely to be sold as second homes rather than for local families saying she would prefer to see affordable housing with fewer bedrooms and more living space.

Worth Matravers parish council took a similar view: “The proposed site redevelopment of market housing is of an unacceptable impact on this rural area due to its size scale and location creeping private unaffordable housing outwards from the village along the road . Approval will inevitably create further unwanted market housing pressures on the open land closer towards Newfoundlands Close.”

Similar views came from neighbours to the site. Said one: “The proposed design is characteristic of holiday homes and second homes, which are not suitable to be lived in full time. As a close neighbour, I worry that noise generated by holidaying parties could be disruptive.”

A Dorset Council planning case officer report concluded: “It is considered that the adverse impacts of granting consent on the key characteristics of the Dorset National Landscape in this location are so significantly and demonstrably harmful as to outweigh the benefits of the additional dwellings towards the area housing land supply… “The proposed development would result in a new and harmfully intrusive level of artificial light pollution into the intrinsically dark landscape and dark night skies of the Dorset National Landscape which would not positively integrate with the rural character and appearance of the area.”

Illustration – Proposed building elevations - Scott Worsfold Associates Illustration – Existing and proposed views of the Worth Barn site - Scott Worsfold Associates