Neighbour challenges conversion of barns to holiday cottages

Wednesday 08 June 2022

The neighbour of a farmhouse in St. Ouen is appealing against a decision to convert outbuildings into six self-catered holiday cottages.

Last month, the Planning Committee approved an application from Mark and Catherine Syvret to create the tourist accommodation at their property, La Robeline, which is off Rue de la Robeline, above Mont Pinel.

Neighbour Gavin Breeze and his wife have now lodged an appeal against the approval.

Speaking at the Planning Committee meeting at the beginning of May, Mr Breeze said that his principal concerns were over access, road safety, parking and the impact of parking on the area.

In a letter accompanying the appeal, planning consultant Stephanie Steedman, on behalf of the neighbours, writes: “Mr and Mrs Breeze are keen to convey that they are not objecting to the principle of what is being proposed.

“It is the impacts and landscape and highway safety that result from the scale and number of proposed self-catering units and potential for harm to the enjoyment of their property that would result from this scheme.”

Pictured: La Robeline is a farmhouse down a lane off Rue de la Robeline in St. Ouen, and is unconnected to La Petite Robeline, which is around 120m away.

She adds: “Mr and Mrs Breeze believe that these objections could be overcome through a revised planning application which placed all visitor parking […] within the existing main courtyard which is located between the proposed barn conversions and the main house.”

The appeal has nothing to do with nearby La Petite Robeline, the home of La Robeline Cider Company.

At the same Planning Committee meeting last month, a retrospective application by the cider company to convert an existing shed into a kitchen and construct a lean-to extension to support the catering business was refused.

This was because the application also sought to create parking access to a field by breaching a granite wall.