Bath and North East Somerset Council has denied planning permission for a log cabin proposed by a young couple on their farmland in Clutton. The single-storey log cabin, intended as temporary accommodation for the couple to establish a small agricultural business, was ruled “inappropriate development in the green belt” by the council’s planning officers.
Laura Dagger had applied for a three-year permission to build the cabin on land along Lower Bristol Road, but councillors voted against the proposal. Officers cited the absence of a business plan demonstrating the need for the cabin as a key reason for refusal.
The decision comes as the council plans to allocate land in Clutton for 330 new homes in its emerging local plan, despite opposition from many local residents. A village resident of 40 years expressed support for the cabin, contrasting it with the large-scale housing developments that have previously been approved.
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Ms Dagger and her partner explained that they could not find affordable housing locally and wished to live close to their new agricultural enterprise. An agent representing the couple told the planning committee: “This is not a speculative housing development. It is a modest temporary proposal for a young local couple who want to establish a small-scale agricultural exercise on land immediately adjacent to existing housing.”
During the meeting, committee member Paul Crossley highlighted the importance of supporting small rural businesses and food production amid global uncertainties. However, another member, Shaun Hughes, said he could not endorse the application due to a lack of an existing agricultural business to justify the accommodation.
Planning guidelines permit building necessary accommodation for farmworkers in the green belt, but the applicants were unable to demonstrate this necessity to the council’s satisfaction. Councillor Toby Simon described the application as a “near miss” with policy and advocated for approval, but was outvoted.
Clutton is among several villages in North East Somerset expected to see significant growth, as the council aims to meet a boosted housing target of approximately 27,340 homes. Due to Bath’s UNESCO World Heritage Site designation limiting expansion to about a quarter of the target, the council has designated large rural areas for development and is considering temporarily modifying the city’s status to permit suburban growth.