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The owners of an eco-friendly 'hobbit house' that was built without planning permission in have lost their appeal to keep their home.

The turf-roofed straw and wood roundhouse in Glandwr, north Pembrokeshire, which has won praise from many in the community, contravened planning policy for the open countryside.

This week Planning Inspector Iwan Lloyd upheld a decision by Pembrokeshire Council to issue an enforcement notice against the home at Glandwr.

The appeal by Megan Williams was dismissed because the 'benefits of the development did not outweigh the harm to the character and appearance of the countryside'.

Mr Lloyd upheld the enforcement notice, which required that the roundhouse and all associated work, including the timber decking, be demolished and the land returned to its previous condition within two months.

Charlie Hague and Megan Williams, both 25, built their eco-home on private land with help from family and friends.

But the couple failed to seek the necessary planning consent and battled to save their home from demolition.

They applied for retrospective planning permission and set up a Facebook page so people could learn about their turf-roofed home.

Welsh-speaking mum Megan said they acknowledged their property was built without prior consent, but said there was no other way for them to afford their own home.

She told WalesOnline: "I come from Newport in Pembrokeshire, where many of the homes are owned by wealthy developers from outside the area as second, third or even fourth homes. Charlie and I would struggle to get anywhere near the property ladder – even in some of the supposed affordable homes being created in Pembrokeshire.”

She said the couple had made the best of the space available to them and in no way intended to flout planning laws.

"We were living in a mobile home here previously, and it really wasn’t warm or comfortable.

"The house, which blends into the surrounding area, is really much less intrusive than any mobile home. I know it’s not a possibility for everyone, and our situation here is unique – but if young people are to live and work in the area they need somewhere to live.”

Today the couple did not want to comment on the decision.

Pembrokeshire Council issued the enforcement notice against the Roundhouse last December because it had been built without planning permission in open countryside and was therefore contrary to the Joint Unitary Development Plan (JUDP).

Miss Williams’ appeal sought to justify the development on the basis of its low impact, in terms of its construction, and use and the families’ self sufficient lifestyle.

In reaching his decision Inspector Lloyd looked in detail at local and national planning policies regarding low impact dwellings.

He said the Welsh Government’s guidance in TAN 6 for applications made in respect of OPD (One Planet Development) required robust

evidence contained in a management plan produced by a competent person, which was absent in this case.

He said the effect of the septic tank on the environment had not been assessed and the transport assessment was not clear.

“I therefore conclude that there is a lack of proper justification for the benefits of the low-impact development in this case for this matter to be given sufficient weight and to outweigh the policies which seek to control development in the countryside.”

Regarding the appellants’ claim that the roundhouse was not visually intrusive he said the fact that it was unobtrusive was not by itself a good argument as:

“The character and appearance of the countryside should be protected for its intrinsic sake, and the development is contrary to LDP polices SP 13 and SP 16.”

He concluded: “… the benefits of a low-impact development do not outweigh the harm to the character and appearance of the countryside having regard to the provisions of the development plan.”

Councillor Rob Lewis, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Highways and Planning welcomed the Inspector’s decision to uphold the Council’s decision.

“Planning is a rigorous process with clear guidelines and if it is to be enforced fairly must also be upheld by everyone,” he said.

“A retrospective planning application has been submitted and it will be considered on its merits.”