Permission has been given to turn part of a Herefordshire farm into four homes, despite local opposition.

Mykola Vasylyshyn had applied to convert a former hop kiln at Upper Barrow Farm, Suckley by the Worcestershire border under what are known as permitted development rights, which sidestep the need for full planning permission.

It was an amended resubmission of a bid which Herefordshire Council planners refused in August, due to two of the units being smaller than national space standards.

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But the conversion of an adjoining barn into three more homes was approved in July despite numerous local objections.

Cradley and Storridge parish council maintained in its response to the latest proposal that the site “is totally unsuitable for residential development”, being in what it called “a commercial/industrial complex” rather than a farm.

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Five objections from neighbours were also submitted, over increased traffic on the narrow lane, limited parking and impact on existing poor water and energy supplies.

But planning officer Amber Morris concluded that Mr Vasylyshyn’s latest proposal met the criteria of permitted development rights.

The building was “within an established agricultural unit”, which was not in dispute at the time of its sale in late 2022, the floor space of the proposed units was now adequate, the cumulative number of units on the site would not pass the threshold of ten, they would use existing road access and would not impinge on any listed buildings, she concluded.