AN application to convert an outbuilding into a home in Main Street, Loders has split local opinion.

Letters both for and against the proposals at The Barn House have been submitted to Dorset Council who will make a decision today (20th).

The application involves the demolition of an outbuilding and the conversion and extension of another to create a one-bed home. Both are to the rear of the listed main house with the site within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Loders Conservation Area.

The parish council has objected to the application arguing that the outbuildings are beyond the defined development boundary and do not comply with local plan policy which says that a building to be converted should not be substantially rebuilt or extended.

Letters of support for the changes say the extra home will enhance the local economy; that the proposals are sympathetic to surrounding properties and will remove an unsightly building enhancing the site overall.

Letters against say that the proposal is contrary to the Loders Neighbourhood Plan; that it will add to light and noise pollution,]; is at odds with the traditional linear development of the village and may set a precedent for future development along this secondary line.

There are also concerns among the letters of objection to the safety of the access and a query over whether the site is on a flood plain.

Planning team officers are recommending approval. They say in their report to the area planning committee, which will meet in Dorchester: “The location is considered to be sustainable and the proposal is acceptable in its design and general visual impact. There is not considered to be any significant harm to neighbouring residential amenity.”

They also say that the development is considered to have an ‘acceptable impact’ on the setting of listed buildings, and the listed building itself and on the natural beauty of the AONB.