DARTMOOR National Park Authority has welcomed the decision of the independent planning inspector, appointed by the Secretary of State, to dismiss the appeal by Affinity Workers Co-operative against the refusal of planning permission for permanent residential use of land at Steward Wood, a community woodland near Moretonhampsted.

The inspector also upheld the enforcement notices requiring the unauthorised residential use to cease and the unauthorised buildings and structures on the land to be removed.

Dartmoor National Park Authority said it had a duty to protect and conserve the special qualities of the national park and is charged to do so under the 1995 Environment Act.

In his report, the inspector highlighted the main issues to be the effect the development carried out and proposed has had, and would have, on the character and appearance of the national park and the purposes of the national park designation.

He stated: ‘I conclude that the development as existing unacceptably harms the character and appearance of Dartmoor National Park. Furthermore, the additional development proposed under the appeal would cause further harm to the character and appearance of Dartmoor National Park.

‘I consider that the development, both existing and proposed, fails to conserve or enhance the natural beauty of Dartmoor National Park.’

In the course of a six-day public inquiry in April and May this year, the inspector heard detailed evidence from independent experts in permaculture, forestry and landscape character assessment. The evidence set out the harmful impact on the character of this part of the national park, the failure of the residents to achieve a sustainable lifestyle and the damage their presence was causing to the protected woodland.

Bill Hitchins, chairman of Dartmoor National Park Authority, said: ‘We have a statutory duty to protect and conserve the national park and this is reflected in our planning policies. They make it clear that new houses and residential development in the open countryside of the national park will only be permitted where there is clear justification, such as where it is essential that an agricultural worker lives on site. The inspector has made it clear he does not consider there to be a need to live in the wood to manage it or that this is a low impact residential development.

‘The authority will consider experimental, innovative schemes which are designed to achieve sustainable living and address the causes of climate change by minimising the impact on natural resources, as long as they are carried out in a way that does not harm the special qualities of the national park and have the right permissions in place.’

The inspector has given the residents 12 months to remove the structures and stop living on the land. This ensures that the individuals and families currently living on site will have sufficient time to find alternative accommodation and make arrangements for the education of any school-age children.

The authority said it hoped that everyone living on the site would accept the decision of the inspector and comply with the requirements of the enforcement notices.