West Devon Borough Council has refused permission for a camping site at Whiddon to become a caravan park for 12 months (3501/23/CCN).

The proposal to turn the land into a site fit to cater for up to five caravans, motorhomes or trailer tents for a period of one year was recently refused on the grounds of loss of privacy, increased noise levels and negative impact on the nearby national park.

During the council meeting, officers raised concerns that, although the site was located some distance from nearby properties, the lack of any landscaping would result in a loss of privacy and increased noise levels for neighbours and negatively impact the character of Dartmoor National Park.

In a letter to the applicant, council officers wrote: “The application site is in a sensitive location, in close proximity to Dartmoor National Park.

“Paragraph 176 of the NPPF and Policy DEV25 of the Local Plan requires great weight to be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in National Parks, which have the highest status of protection in relation to these issues.

“Development within the setting of a National Park should be sensitively located and designed to avoid or minimise adverse impacts on the designated areas.”

In other planning news, the council has also turned down a request for prior approval of a change of use of an agricultural building to residential building in Beaworthy (2960/23/PDM).

Councillors made the decision on the grounds that officers did not believe the building was structurally capable of supporting the change of use and that the proposed site access, parking area, and boundary treatment exceeded the land boundary.

The borough council has also agreed to the felling of an ash tree in Germansweek (3311/23/TCA) due to severe ash dieback and fears that the tree could fall and damage nearby properties if left.

An application from a Yelverton householder to erect 20 ground mounted solar panels has also be submitted so that the householder can reduce reliance on fossil fuels (3465/23/FUL).

The householder estimates that 2,130kg of CO2 will be offset within one year of the installation, which will rise to 46,867kg after 25 years.

The application also states a plan to install an electric vehicle charging point on the property.

Comments on the application should be submitted by December 14.

To view or comment on an application, visit the West Devon Planning Portal on www.westdevon.gov.uk/planning and click on “Search for a planning application.”