A PLANNING inspector has dismissed an appeal for an extension and dormer window at a Lyme Regis property.

Mr and Mrs C Jackson appealed against West Dorset District Council’s refusal to allow them to extend their bungalow called Suva in Sidmouth Road.

Government inspector Andrew Pykett backed district planners, who said the development would harm the character and appearance of the surrounding area.

Mr and Mrs Jackson applied for an extension and dormer window to provide two extra bedrooms with extensive views over the sea.

It would have mirrored a first-floor extension on the opposite end of the bungalow, which was given planning permission in 2005.

In his report, Mr Pykett said: “As far as vantage points are concerned, I consider the main impact of the scheme would be that from Sidmouth Road to the north.

“The dwelling plays its part in an attractive view as the road turns through 90 degrees and falls towards the coast and the centre of the town.”

Mr Pykett said he acknowledged that the extension would balance out the building and obscure the existing flat roof at the western end of the property.

“However, I fear its existence would also diminish the view between Suva and its neighbour in Ware Lane,” he said.

The inspector said he agrees with the council that the development would increase the scale and impact of the building on its surroundings.

Mr Pykett said Suva is also visible from public footpaths lying between the property and the coast, and enlarging the building would be ‘excessive and incongruous in its setting’.

He added: “I conclude the proposed development would have a harmful effect on the character and appearance of the conservation area.”