PLANNING permission has been refused for a house in Llanteg which was built too high.

The application from Peter Watson was discussed by the County Council’s planning committee on Tuesday, January 19.

He sought retrospective consent for the erection of Bay Vu on Trelessy Road.

Original planning was granted in 2008 for a one and a half storey house, but what has been built is two and a half stories.

There are also differences in the arrangement of the windows and the front gable, which planning officers describe as a “disproportionate and incongruous feature” resulting in a building of inappropriate scale and mass, and one that harms the character and appearance of the area. As a result they recommended that the application be refused.

Mr Watson said: “I acknowledge the front of the house is not in line with the plans that had been approved.”

He explained it was not a deliberate attempt to flaunt regulations, but resulted from the delivery of wall panels which did not match his specifications.

“I have applied for retrospective planning permission not because I have accepted that Bay Vu did not have planning permission, but because I did not want to spend time and money on legal wrangles.

“I much prefer to work co-operatively and reiterate my willingness to amend Bay Vu in an acceptable and affordable manner with the least possible disruption to my neighbours.”

Mr Watson added that he had been advised that he had a case for maladministration in that the council had lost some of the elevation plans for Bay Vu. The council said it was “unfortunate” that they were mislaid during an external digitising process.

Planning consultant Andrew Vaughan-Harries spoke on behalf of Mr Watson’s next door neighbour.

He said: “Mr Watson has got himself in a planning mess, which is disappointing.

“He was asked to stop as he was building but he ignored advice and battered on with arrogance.”

Mr Vaughan-Harries added: “Mr Watson has experience of presenting planning applications. He gives advice as an architectural technician, so I am bemused that somebody who deals with building all the time has got in this mess.”

Three letters of representation were received during the statutory consultation. They outlined concerns such as a violation of previous consent, undermining public confidence in the planning process, a loss of light and amenity to other properties and poor design. Amroth Community Council also said could not support retrospective planning applications.

A motion to refuse the application, in line with the recommendation, was backed by a majority of the committee.