A CHILDREN’S playhouse at the centre of a row in a Ryedale village has been given the thumbs up by members of Ryedale District Council’s planning committee.

But several members questioned the size, design and siting of the equipment in the garden of Darren and Maxine Hugill’s home in Main Street, Middleton, near Pickering.

The structure at Church Farm House led to a number of protests from people living nearby.

Dr Tim Thornton, who lives next door, told the committee that the structure, due to the scale, design and the materials used was “unacceptable in this location” which was in a conservation area with listed buildings.

He said he and other objectors loved children and he had spent years trying to provide community playing facilities, but the view of the nearby church from his cottage was being obstructed.

If the application was refused and an alternative design put forward, he thought an acceptable solution would be agreed.

Darren Hugill said the playhouse was in a crucial position to ensure their three children could be supervised from their office and home. No other location in the garden was safe or suitable.

“As far as we are concerned, we have done everything to accommodate the situation,” said Mr Hugill, who added many people had stopped them in the street to offer their support, and the parish council also supported the application.

The structure was recommended for approval by planning officers and there was no objection from the council’s conservation officer.

It only came to the planning committee because it was within the grounds of a listed building.

But at a previous committee meeting members were split over the wooden structure, which had already been built, and decided there should be a site visit before a final decision was made.

Coun Paul Andrews was not convinced by the arguments of objectors, but opposed the structure because “it does look like a strange buidling in a conservation area”.

Coun Lindsay Burr said: “I am disappointed that people could not have got together and sorted out their differences.”

The Hugills said afterwards they were “delighted” with the decision.