PLANS to turn a barn near Cheriton Fitzpaine into a two-bedroom home have been thrown out.

Mr J and Mrs L Acton had wanted to convert the single-storey agricultural building off Mill Lane north-west of the village under “Class Q” of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015, which allows agricultural buildings to be converted into homes without a full planning application.

The barn, which is roughly 17 years old and has previously been used for hay storage and lambing, would have been extended by four metres at the rear over an existing area of hardstanding.

Rejecting the plans, Mid Devon District Council said that “insufficient information” was provided to “establish that the site was part of an established agricultural unit”.

It added that the internal floor area was too small without the extension, 70 square metres being the minimum required.

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You can see the application on the council’s website under reference 26/00728/PNCOU.