COUNCILLORS are being urged to refuse plans to convert four buildings at a former Blue Cross animal rehoming centre near Bickleigh into houses.

Nick Helsing wants to turn the reception, cattery and puppy unit, kennels and a cat isolation unit into eight homes.

The reception would become two two-bedroom houses, with the same proposed for the cattery and puppy unit. The cat isolation unit would become a single three-bedroom home, and the kennels would become three four-bedroom homes.

Each new dwelling would have two car parking spaces and a bike store for up to four bicycles.

Separate permission was recently granted to turn the barn on the southern corner of the site into a home, next to which are two cottages.

But for this application, planning staff at Mid Devon District Council have advised councillors to refuse the proposals.

They say the “ordinary and utilitarian” buildings are “not considered to positively contribute to the area’s rural character”, and as such are “not suitable for conversion to dwellings” in the open countryside.

“Whilst the buildings are not necessarily harmful to the rural character of the area, it is not considered that they are positively contributing to the area’s character,” a report to councillors reads.

“The buildings have no historical or architectural interest and therefore, overall, are not considered by officers to comply with [policy] requirements.”

They added there would also be no reason to override their concerns. The Mid Devon Local Plan, a blueprint for development, is in date, and the council can show the government it has at least five years’ worth of land for new homes.

The proposed plans do comply with other criteria though, with no ecological or road safety problems raised.

A financial contribution of £28,685 has also been agreed for Devon County Council, if the plans are approved, “to offset the impact of the development on the transport associated with local schools”.

Mid Devon District Council’s planning committee will decide whether to grant or refuse permission when it next meets.

You can see the application on the council’s website under reference 24/00746/FULL.

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