Plans to convert part of a closed spa near Burnham-On-Sea into new homes have been rejected by local councillors.
Rookery Manor is located in Edingworth between Burnham-On-Sea and Weston-super-Mare.
The manor functioned as a wedding venue until August 2020 and as a spa until December 2023, with the business owner still running a number of holiday cabins to the south of the main building.
The owner sought permission to convert the function room of the main manor building into nine self-contained apartments, as well as constructing a further 14 holiday cabins.
But Somerset Council’s planning committee north has this month refused permission to both proposals during a meeting in Bridgwater.
The new apartments were intended to be build within the main wedding venue building in the centre of the manor complex, which is single-storey and includes a lobby and kitchen area.
Each of the apartments would have contained three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and kitchen/dining area, with new windows being inserted on the south side and new entrance doors providing access to outdoor amenity space.
The new cabins were intended to be erected at the southernmost part of the site, within a few hundred yards of the boundary with the northbound motorway service station.
The owner, Ian Clapp, previously applied to site 18 cabins on this parcel of land, but was refused permission by Sedgemoor District Council in November 2022.
Kevin Bray, Chair of East Brent Parish Council, told the committee: “There are 12 registered residences in Edingworth, of which three are working farms. Since 2017 there have been 73 park homes built within the Rookery site, of which 54 per cent have permanent residency – and no enforcement has been undertaken on this. The local area cannot take another nine homes.”
“A total of 16 affordable homes are being provided by the Old Bristol Road development. This is a hamlet. There is no easy access to schools or school transport, and all movement will have to be done by car.”
Cllr Bob Filmer, whose Brent division includes the site, agreed, adding: “This site has recycled itself on a number of occasions – those of us who have been around a very long time will remember going out for a site visit when this was a pig farm, before it was a wedding venue.”
“Edingworth is a small hamlet, and the number of properties we’re proposing is significantly adding to it. This is in the middle of nowhere, in terms of planning. Are we now saying that so long as you’re within a quick drive of services, that’s sustainable?”
Cllr Matt Martin added: “I have struggled with this particular application. I’d like to see a bit more detail about what is going on with this. It seems we’re turning this wedding venue into housing because we’ve run out of options for the building.”
Burnham-On-Sea Councillor Mike Murphy disagreed, saying: “There are several farm shops and a petrol station very nearby – it’s not as if this is just an island developing in the middle of nowhere. There are villages with shops where they can be served. God knows we need accommodation like this.”
The committee narrowly voted to refuse the apartment plans by a margin of five votes to four, with one abstention, while the plans for additional cabins were unanimously refused, noted the local democracy reporting service.
