A NEWLY-CONSTRUCTED house has been allowed to stand after parish councillors wanted it pulled down for being a metre too high and slightly out of position.

The house, on the corner of Chapel Road and Forkers Lane in Settrington, is nearly structurally complete.

But at a meeting of Ryedale District Council’s planning committee last Tuesday, parish council chairman Norman Lamb said the building deviated from the approved plans, and that the whole purpose of the planning process is to “establish a set of rules and standards to which the building must conform”.

He said: “It seems inconceivable to the parishioners of Settrington that once the design criteria have been agreed, someone can come along out of the blue and construct a building which does not correspond with the agreed plan for whatever reason.

“We realise this is a very expensive mistake to make.

“But to allow retrospective planning permission for this construction would completely demean the whole planning process.”

Application agent Melissa Madge defended the new design, saying that the character of the village is made up of a wide variety of roof heights, and “the things that tie the character and appearance together are the building materials: stone and clay pantiles”.

She added that the neighbouring residents had raised no objection, and it would not be a “simplistic” operation to dismantle the house, move it and rebuild it.

“These buildings are designed to be put together and to stay together,” she said.

Several committee councillors expressed sympathy with the parish council.

Cllr Caroline Goodrick that granting retrospective permission for the new design “should not create a precedent” for future developments being “changed at will”.

Cllr Michael Cleary said: “I find it extraordinary that the building’s been built in the wrong spot. Somebody’s got a very red face somewhere.

“However, that ‘nuclear’ option of tearing it down would be totally disproportionate.”

Cllr Cleary moved for approval of the change of design, and this was seconded by Cllr Goodrick. Retrospective planning permission was granted, with one abstention.