A NINE home application on a barn and stables complex at Warmwell has been refused outline planning permission.

The Warmwell Stud, off the B3390 in the centre of the village, had asked Dorset Council for a “permission in principle” agreement to the scheme which it said would improve the area.

But the council decided that the site is outside of any defined development boundary and to redevelop it would be to the detriment of the village rural character and identity.

“In effect, the character of the Warmwell Conservation Area would not be preserved or enhanced,” said a summary of the council findings.

The application to Dorset Council came from Mr Sam Ross-Skinner in the name of Warmwell Hospitality Partnership at Warwell House.

The application document says the stables were granted planning permission in July 1998 and argued that the new housing development should be supported under the terms of the 2005 Warmwell Parish Plan, which backs limited housing schemes to help revitalise the community.

The policy suggests this should be mainly through the conversion of existing buildings and infill development.

That idea won the backing of some residents at a village meeting called to discuss the proposal last autumn and was followed by several letters of support for the scheme to Dorset Council.

Owermoigne parish council also offered its backing saying that it believed the development would be suitable for the village and should be allowed.

But the idea also attracted objections.

Among them were concerns over access to the site, no footpaths to the bus stop, overlooking an adjoining property and questions over the capacity of the sewage and surface water systems.

A planning officer, recommending refusal of the scheme, wrote in his summary report: “Overall, the modest benefits of the scheme would be outweighed by the harm as a result of the development.

“The unacceptable location for the housing proposed, with the lack of accessible services or desirable public transport links, together with the likely adverse visual impact to the character of the small estate village and impact on local biodiversity, are such that the harm would be substantial and compelling reasons to recommend refusal.”

An illustrative site plan showed a close-style development of homes with a communal garden, orchard and vegetable garden alongside.