Councillors set to refuse ‘jarring and unnecessary’ caravan proposal near Scarborough
Councillors have been asked to reject plans for an ‘unnecessary’ caravan that would provide agricultural workers’ accommodation.
David Swiers’ plan to erect a caravan lodge to provide housing for an agricultural worker is set to be rejected after officers raised concerns about the evidence for the necessity of the development at Chelson Fields, Killerby, Scarborough.
According to submitted plans, Mr Swiers has created a “specialised livestock business enterprise which trades as Swiers Organic Farming Ltd situated on the land at Killerby, near Cayton.
“The applicant’s concerns relate to the security for the animals and the site,” a planning report states.
However, officers found “no evidence of this livestock at the time of the site visits”.
“At the time of the site visits, officers noted the livestock totalled four alpacas, three sheep, two ponies, and one chicken.
“In terms of the functional need for a dwelling, no evidence has been provided to demonstrate that a constant on-site presence would be needed for the animals currently on site, or the animals detailed in the report,” they added.
A planning application on the same site was previously made for a permanent two bedroom dwelling, which was refused by the now-defunct Scarborough Borough Council and later dismissed at appeal in 2012.
“Since the appeal, the applicant has continued to develop the business to a stage where a dwelling is required on site to allow 24-hour supervision of the livestock and machinery,” the proposal states.
Officers said there was “no evidence that the agricultural enterprise exists or if it does that it is currently economically viable”.
They added: “Furthermore, the proposed dwelling would not be linked to an existing, demonstrably financially sound enterprise.
"There is no justification for the siting of a caravan for agricultural workers or a permanent dwelling on the site based on the needs of the existing operations.”
Although planners noted that the caravan lodge would not be visually harmful to the area, they said it would “introduce an unnecessary development into the landscape, and the open countryside”.
“As such, the proposal would appear prominent, jarring and incongruous.”
The Scarborough and Whitby Area Planning Committee is set to debate the proposal at a meeting on Thursday, February 12.