A PLANNING officer has advised that a proposal to site two log cabins in the grounds of Trematon Castle would not be likely to be approved.

George Shirley was addressing his advice to Jason Foyle, who submitted a request for pre-planning advice for Trematon Castle, near Saltash, which is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall.

The two log cabins planned would be removable structures and would sit within openings in the woods, so there would not be any impact on the trees themselves, said the applicant. Water and power is already supplied to the site, where there is existing holiday accommodation in the stables and apple shed.

But the planning officer said that there were “significant concerns” over the location of the proposed units, which would be within a woodland located in an elevated position above Forder, and below the main castle and house.

“The woodland forms part of the setting for the Scheduled Monument and the Listed Buildings which form Trematon Castle, and it also contributes in landscape terms to the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Forder Conservation Area,” he said.

“In essence, this is a highly sensitive site. It is appreciated that the tree cover would be likely to screen the units fairly well….but there would still be the potential that they could be visible from locations in Forder during the winter months, which would detract from the undeveloped nature of the hillside. Any light spill in the night-time hours would be immediately visible and be detrimental to the landscape designations identified above. Less permanent forms of accommodation may be viewed as more appropriate, such as safari tents or yurts.”

The proposal may be viewed more favourably should the existing holiday accommodation be regularised, said Mr Shirley, as the log cabins would then constitute an extension of an existing tourism facility rather than a new tourism enterprise, which is how the proposal would currently be classed.

Advice from an officer ahead of a planning application does not constitute a formal planning response.

For all the latest planning applications currently being considered in South East Cornwall see this week’s edition of The Cornish Times, out in the shops now.