An appeal against a Ceredigion County Council decision to refuse permission for a holiday let built and run without planning consent at a business in Dihewyd has been dismissed by Welsh Government inspectors.

Plans for a proposed change of use of two lorry backs into a holiday let to include changes to existing vehicular access and parking area at Penparc were refused by council planners in January 2024.

The holiday let has been in use since the Covid-19 pandemic, despite not having planning permission.

Rejecting the plans last year, Ceredigion County Council planners raised concerns about the location of the development and an increase in traffic, saying the scheme was not “sustainable development.”

Planners also said a submitted Green Infrastructure Statement was “inadequate.”

“Whilst it is noted that the applicant identifies a number of tourism attractions in North Ceredigion, there are no major tourist attractions in the immediate vicinity,” council planners said.

“It is therefore the opinion of the LPA that accommodation could be developed in locations which are more convenient to tourist attractions and centres, and are more sustainable, than the one proposed.

“The proposal does not intend to introduce any additional facilities for use by the local community.

“Whilst this means there are no initial concerns on the proposal having a negative impact on existing services, it is considered that the proposal would not support the role and function of the settlement of Dihewyd.

“This is further compounded by the lack of existing services in Dihewyd and the lack of infrastructure and services to facilitate active and sustainable travel between the site and services in nearby settlements.

An inspectors report on the appeal said that the “use of the building as a holiday let has commenced” while “works to the access and parking area have not been undertaken.”

“The main issues are whether the development complies with local and national policies designed to secure sustainable development; and the effect on ecology,” inspectors said.

Undertaking a site visit in December, inspectors said it was explained that the “holiday let business was initially established to provide financial support for the rosette business during the Covid-19 pandemic and to address ongoing economic uncertainties.”

But inspectors found that “while the scheme is modest in scale and would support tourism in non-coastal Ceredigion by providing additional accommodation, the justifications provided in the submitted evidence are overly broad.

“In particular, they lack the detail and specificity required to demonstrate alignment with a clearly identified local need for this type of tourist accommodation,” the report said.

“In the absence of a clearly defined local need, the appeal scheme would undermine the objective of fostering sustainable growth within linked settlements.”

The inspector’s report concluded that it “found the development to be acceptable in terms of its effect on biodiversity” and “noted the support from the Community Council and local MP.”

“However, neither this nor the other matters raised outweighs the policy conflict caused by the development’s unsustainable siting,” the report said.

The appeal was dismissed.