Plans to build new holiday cabins near Burnham-On-Sea have been rejected by district councillors.
Rookery Manor in Edingworth used to be a wedding venue but since August 2020 the owner has instead operated several holiday cabins at the site’s southern edge.
A total of 15 log cabins were built on the site before the council’s Development Committee granted permission for a further 14 cabins in October 2020. A further ten were approved in January 2022.
But Sedgemoor District Council has this month rejected plans for a further 18 cabins on land immediately to the south of the existing development, near the northbound M5 Sedgemoor Services, saying that it is “one extension too far.”
During the latest meeting of the council’s Development Committee, Carla Searle, who sits on East Brent Parish Council, said: “A stop has to be put to this development. Otherwise, who knows how many more lodges will be applied for? The hamlet of Edingworth will be swamped.”
Cllr Bob Filmer, who chaired the meeting and whose Knoll ward includes the site, says he was concerned about how rapidly the complex had expanded in recent years.
“Edingworth is a hamlet of limited size. This started off as a development around the former wedding venue, and it’s moving beyond the natural cut-off of where applications have come from before,” he said.
“The site has been raised to mitigate the flood issue, but that does make the lodges more prominent in the landscape. I think this is one extension too far.”
Cllr Alistair Hendry, however, argued: “If people want to buy a mobile home near a motorway, that’s their choice. Rookery Manor has to be allowed to be diverse. They’re trying to make the best use of the land around them.”
After around half an hour’s debate, the committee voted to refuse planning permission.
