Tree house planning appeal pulled

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/wales/south_west/8010767.stm

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A father has withdrawn his appeal to keep a tree house in his garden due to the strength of feeling of neighbours.

Chris Sharples was fighting a ruling by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority that the half-built structure for his daughter must be taken down.

But at an appeal hearing a neighbouring farming family said the structure was "more akin to a watchtower".

Mr Sharples said he was unaware of the opposition to it so in the interest of neighbourly relations would remove it.

He began building the structure at his farmhouse at Brynberian without planning consent.

The Davies family, who farm nearby, said it was like a "watchtower"

When he was told permission would be needed, he submitted an application to the national park which was subsequently refused.

He was contesting an enforcement notice ordering him to take it down.

The Welsh Assembly Government appointed Timothy Morgan of the Planning Inspectorate to resolve the issue and a hearing took place earlier.

Michael Thorne, representing Mr Sharlpes, told him it was a "minor development" within a residential garden.

He argued it was well designed and constructed, sensitively sited and compatible with the surrounding rural landscape.

But as well as hearing from the national park, Mr Morgan was also addressed by the Davies family who farm land neighbouring the tree house.

They said the "substantial timber structure" invaded their privacy and said it was "more akin to a kind of watchtower."

The original planning application was refused by the park's committee

Following a site visit Mr Thorne said his client had been unaware of the strength of opposition from his neighbours and had decided to withdraw his appeal.

He said Mr Sharples thought it had just been the national park that had objected to the tree house.

He said "in the interest of neighbour relations" his client would now take it down.

At the hearing the park authority had argued it would have a harmful impact on the landscape and character of the area - which was within a registered historic landscape.

Arwel Williams for the park said: "The character of the area is very traditional outbuildings built out of stone.

"It's considered that the tree house is totally out of character with the traditional buildings there."

Mr Williams said although it was the first time the park authority had been called on to consider planning for a tree house it could set a precedent.