MORE holiday homes can be built in a village after a government inspector overruled the council.

The plan to build eight extra holiday homes on land next to the Berkeley Arms in Egdon between Worcester and Pershore was rejected by Wychavon District Council last year, but the decision has now been overturned by the government’s planning inspectorate.

The plan was rejected by councillors because they said the layout would be too cramped.

The decision was reviewed by planning inspector Helen Smith following an appeal who disagreed with the council and said the extra holiday homes would not be overcrowded and should be allowed to be built.

A report, which outlined the inspector’s decision, said: “The scale of the development is proportionate and appropriate to the site and the existing building it would serve… the layout of the proposal consists of eight holiday let units in a courtyard arrangement with a communal garden in the centre.

“Due to this sense of space within the development, the proposal would not appear as a cramped layout.

“As each unit would have its own small private individual amenity area, as well as a communal courtyard garden, communal car parking facilities and a bin store, it would not represent overdevelopment of the site; rather its design would utilise the space of the site efficiently.

“In addition, the proposal is positioned on disused land between the rear of the existing public house and the siting of the 24 holiday caravans that received planning permission in 2019 to its south-east. Given the sites surrounding uses, the proposal would not appear prominent or not in keeping with its wider setting.”

Stoulton Parish Council objected to the plan saying that when coupled with the 24 holiday homes already approved, building an extra eight would turn the site into a “mini housing estate.”

Wychavon planners had recommended approving the application, but it was rejected by the council’s planning committee when put to a vote at a meeting in August last year.

A decision was made by the committee at the request of ward councillor Linda Robinson who said the extra holiday homes would represent overdevelopment.