An application for a new two-bed home on the site of the Old Bakery has been rejected by Dorset Council.

The scheme included the conversion of an outbuilding and the building of a two storey extension, together with the part demolition of the Old Bakery in Marshwood to create a new gateway and access.

Among the neighbour objections were concerns over parking, with one claiming that if the proposal was agreed there could be three homes on the site with the potential for six or more vehicles, some of which might end up parking on the busy B3165. Others considered the application to amount to an overdevelopment of the site, with another concerned about access to Tanyard Farm. One neighbour supported the application.

A planning officer report concluded that although the extension would represent an 89 per cent increase in the size of the property it would still fall short of the minimum space standards for a two storey two-bed house for four people. The report also said that the resulting splitting of the site would be detrimental to the character of the location and the larger building would have an impact on neighbours.

The report states: “The substantial extension would be detrimental to the quaintness and humble character of the building and not result in a building that would contribute positively to the character of the site and its surroundings.

“On balance it is clear that there are adverse impacts of the development that significantly and demonstrably outweigh the modest benefits of the scheme.”

There had been a previously-approved application for a two-bed home on the site, agreed in March 2015, but not built.