Pathhead Farm steading plans rejected over floor size

A bid to turn a farm steading into housing has been rejected over plans to more than double its floor size.

Midlothian planning officers refused to allow the only farm building still to be converted on a courtyard near Pathhead to be turned into two new houses saying the extension proposed for it was too big.

And they criticised the design of the conversion saying it was neither “traditional nor contemporary” and was “not of sufficient quality given this highly sensitive area”.

The application had pointed out that all other steadings on the site had been converted into housing over the last 30 years and the remaining building had not been used for agricultural purposes for decades.

It argued the steading was too narrow for modern day living and extensions were required.

It said: “All the other stone buildings of the original Georgian steading have already been converted into homes. There are now nine homes at Crichton Mains and this conversion of the last original farm buildings will increase the number of homes to 11.

“The increase is considered appropriate and in proportion to the size of the steading. The additional two families will help sustain this rural community.
The applicant has no use for the redundant buildings which were last used for agricultural purposes over 25 years ago and now used very inefficiently for storage.”

Planners said the building currently had a footprint of  150 square metres and the application proposed adding a front extension which also had footprint of 150 square metres and a proposed rear extension with a footprint of 98.5 square metres. The extensions are more than double the
floorspace of the existing

They said: “This is substantial in terms of floorspace created and extension to the original fabric of the building.”

Refusing permission for the new housing, they said: “The proposed extensions and alterations are not in keeping with and do not respect the historic and rural character of the existing building and layout in terms of siting, scale and design.

“The proposed extensions would substantially alter and extend the original fabric of the former steading building to its significant detriment.”

By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter