We won! Inspector says no to large bungalow on Exmoor coastal path

In 2024, we stepped in to help when many local residents objected to plans for an over-scaled house on the South West Coastal Path.  This beautiful location is on the Heritage Coast and within Exmoor National Park.

Since the 1920s, there has been a modest timber bungalow next to the coastal path in Bossington.  It is in a poor state of repair and has not been occupied for almost ten years.  To get to the site, you have to cross a ford and along a track which also carries the Coast Path from the National Trust car park in Bossington.

Inappropriate design and scale

A London based architect purchased the bungalow and submitted a planning application for a replacement building with stepped roofs. The new design was 9m longer on the seaward side than the existing building and was 1.5m taller at its tallest point. Planning Officers from Exmoor National Park recommended that it should be refused planning permission. They were unhappy that a small cabin in the woods was to be replaced by such a prominent dwelling with a greater impact on the tranquil landscape at this sensitive location.

However, Councillors at the planning committee voted to approve it by a small majority.

Taking legal action

Exmoor National Park’s own Replacement Buildings policy requires scale and mass to be similar to that of the existing building.  In our opinion, the decision by Councillors went against their own policy.

Having worked closely with many local people, we knew how upset the local community were about this decision. Many local residents were horrified at the prospect of this large, new building in such a tranquil place.  This is right next to a National Coastal Trail, on a Heritage Coast and in a National Park.  If this area cannot be protected by planning policy, then nowhere is safe!

So we decided to take legal action. Working with a solicitor, we issued a legal pre-action letter advising that we were prepared to request a judicial review. Very quickly, Exmoor National Park had to accept that its decision was unlawful.  The decision to grant planning permission was quashed by the High Court in May 2024. The application was submitted for redetermination by Exmoor National Park in July but was refused.

BUT – then we had to fight an appeal by the developer

in January 2025, the developer submitted an appeal which means that the case will be determined by the Planning Inspectorate. Local people once again had to work hard to raise funds to fight the appeal and we, as the countryside charity, tried to help as much as we can.

Appeal dismissed

Happily, in May 2025, the Planning Inspector dismissed the appeal.  He ruled that there is no dispute that the proposed replacement building would be both taller and much longer than the current building. This is contrary to the National Park’s replacement building policy. He said it would also have a more complicated roof with stepped ridge heights and steeper roof pitch, be larger overall, and more intrusive in the landscape than the existing building. The inspector was also concerned that the proposed increased glazing would detract from this remote and tranquil area’ s dark skies.

This is a sensible decision and we wish to thank the residents of Bossington who funded our legal costs, and who came forward in large numbers to protect the coastal path.

To find out more details of this case, look for case ref 6/29/23/006 on Exmoor National Park Planning

Make a donation to support our work