An appeal to develop a ‘contemporary’ house in Lyme Regis has been rejected by West Dorset District Council.

The owners of Ardath, a house in Colway Lane, proposed building the property on part of the land that forms their garden.

Exeter-based architects TFQ billed the new flat-roof ‘cubic’ building as ‘two distinct boxes stacked one on top of the other and cut into the existing stepping land topography’.

In the design statement, the company said the smaller rendered ground floor box would have bi-folding doors opening onto the garden, while the first-floor overhanging box would be clad in untreated weatherboard and a small amount of matt zinc cladding on one corner.

Their initial planning application was submitted last year but was refused.

Councillors on the planning committee said the development would ‘have an adverse impact on the amenity of neighbours’ and ‘would be inappropriate in this location with regard to the design, setting and character of the area’.

Lyme Regis Town Council was also consulted at that time and recommended refusal on similar grounds.

Although the applicants appealed, this was dismissed by WDDC for reasons of character and loss of amenity to neighbours.

Although the site sits within a development area in Lyme Regis, it is also highlighted as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and sits amongst other houses built in the 1930s.

Nine neighbours submitted letters of objection to the application, saying the plans were ‘a development too far’ and they objected to the plans ‘in the strongest possible way’.

Their concerns included drainage, the steep gradient, ‘obscure’ and ‘unusual’ appearance of the proposed property and transport issues with the shared access track off Talbot Road.

Some residents said the proposed development’s ‘new modern design...certainly takes nothing from the local vernacular and has absolutely no reflection of local characteristics’.

In the Planning Inspectorate’s report inspector Nick Fagan recommended dismissal, stating the property would be situated far closer to the road than other homes and the proposed hedge would not form sufficient screening.