Doocot house plan fails to take off

Plans to turn an historic Croftamie doocot into a house have been refused by Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park planners.

Lorainne Adams was seeking a change of use of agricultural land and the conversion and extension of the structure north east of Meikle Finnery Lodge.

However, the planners said the proposal would see a five-fold increase in the footprint of the building.

Agents for the applicant had said:“Meikle Finnery is a small traditional stone built doocot located within the Loch Lomond National Park. The building is a small single storey structure tucked behind an existing drystone stone wall facing the road.

“It is proposed that the building is converted and extended. Given the scale of the building care will have to be taken in any design so that character is not lost or overpowered by any new addition.

“The proposals seek to create two new additional structures which respond to the scale of the existing doocot. These are separated from one another to help break up the massing and reduce the scale of the additions.”

However, Park planners said:“The applicant has presented no case or supporting information to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of policy for new housing in the countryside.

“The applicant has not submitted sufficient evidence, in the form of a structural condition survey with appraisal of the suitability of the proposed conversion of the existing building (as to be undertaken by a qualified structural engineer), to enable whether or not the development would protect or conserve the building and avoid or mitigate any possible adverse impacts on the building features that contribute to its heritage interest.

“The proposed extensions to the extant building would result in significant new building elements, resulting in an approximately 500 per cent increase in the building footprint. These proposed significant extensions, despite their potential high quality of design, would nonetheless dominate this small vernacular building of historic interest and would reduce the architectural legibility of this former doocot’s form and function, thus reducing its local historic interest.”

The planners also said no bat or tree surveys had been submitted to enable an assessment to be undertaken.