Independent Surveyor to Measure Cabin Size Amid Planning Dispute
A council is set to engage an independent surveyor to verify the size of a countryside cabin, aiming to resolve an ongoing planning dispute.
An appeal was submitted to the local authority in Dumfries and Galloway after retrospective planning permission was denied for the structure located near Clenries Farm, close to Sanquhar.
According to planning regulations, a hut must have an internal floor space not exceeding 30 square metres (m2). However, a planning officer measured the cabin at 30.9m2.
Conversely, an agent representing the applicant contended that when accounting for bedroom wall insulation, the size would reduce to 29.9m2. Councillors agreed to obtain an independent report before reaching a final decision.
Planning Policy and Regulations
Scottish planning policy defines a hut as "a simple building used intermittently as recreational accommodation ... having an internal floor of area no more than 30m2".
Additionally, the hut must be constructed from "low impact materials," generally not connected to mains water, electricity, or sewerage, and designed to be removable with minimal or no trace at the end of its lifespan.
Such huts may be built individually or in groups.
Despite these guidelines, the retrospective application has been challenged due to the cabin exceeding the size limit by less than one square metre.
Council Meeting and Calls for Verification
During a recent meeting, Annandale South councillor Sean Marshall inquired whether any external verification of the measurements had been conducted.
"Has there been any independent verification of that? We’ve got the two parties - we’ve got the planner saying that it’s this size and we’ve got the applicant’s agent saying that it’s below 30m2, so I just wondered if anyone had actually checked."
Robert Duncan, a senior council planning officer, confirmed that no independent verification had taken place.
The council’s solicitor advised that since the measurement was the pivotal issue in the case, the local review body could commission an independent surveyor to physically measure the cabin’s floor space.
Duncan concurred, stating it was "probably your safest option."
Councillors voted to adjourn the meeting and seek the independent report before making any final determination.
Reporting by local democracy journalist Marc McLean.
