A SANDFORD man has appealed against a council refusal to let him keep a car workshop and storage building he built without planning permission near Crediton.

Kevin Mears bought the former pumping station at Uton and put up the 160-square-metre grey structure between November 2022 and March 2023.

He uses it to repair his own and other people’s cars and store various personal items because he does not have space where he lives, planning documents say.

Mr Mears applied for planning permission to keep the building in June 2023, but Mid Devon District Council rejected his application a year later.

It said the building “does not fall within an appropriate rural use” outlined by the Mid Devon Local Plan and “does not preserve or enhance the character, appearance and biodiversity of the countryside”.

The council added that it conflicts with “sustainable development priorities and the need to reduce travel by car” given its “isolated” location, and is within a high-risk flood zone requiring “the provision of measures to reduce the risk of flooding”.

Mr Mears has appealed to the Planning Inspectorate to overturn the council’s decision.

Appeal documents argue the site is not isolated and is “well related to nearby buildings and buildings on the appeal site”.

“The building is solely intended for limited low-level use, specifically for storage and maintenance of vehicles. This aligns with low-impact use and should not conflict with rural character concerns”, the documents continue.

They add the additional traffic is “unlikely to disrupt the rural setting” and the flood risk concerns are “unfounded” given the Environment Agency withdrew its earlier objection.

The Planning Inspectorate will decide the case at a later date.

You can see the application on the Mid Devon District Council website under reference 23/01004/FULL.

To see more public notices and planning applications, visit: publicnoticeportal.uk.