Single mom who constructed luxurious shepherd’s hut in backyard of her £1million dwelling for further earnings faces having to tear it down after Airbnb itemizing sparked planning row

A single mother faces losing her luxury shepherd’s hut after an Airbnb listing triggered a planning row with the council.

Sophie Weldin had the 20ft long trendy caravan built in the secluded garden of her £1m detached home on the edge of Lyme Regis, Dorset.

Ms Weldin, a mother of four, planned to let it out to holidaymakers for £150 a night to gain some extra income.

The structure cannot be seen from the main road and does not overlook any neighbouring property, being built next to the disused railway line.

However, after it was listed on Airbnb to host guests, she was contacted by her local council, which told her she needed planning permission for the garden building.

Ms Weldin, a freelance marketing specialist, applied for retrospective permission to keep the hut, but Dorset Council has now recommended it be refused.

A highways official said there was poor visibility from Ms Weldin’s property onto the main road, and an increase in visitors would cause additional danger to passing traffic.

She has offered to cut back a Leylandi hedge to improve sightlines and install two mirrors to aid visitors exiting her property.

Sophie Weldin had the 20ft long trendy caravan (pictured) built in the secluded garden of her £1m detached home on the edge of Lyme Regis, Dorset

However, after it was listed on Airbnb to host guests, she was contacted by her local council, which told her she needed planning permission for the garden building. Pictured: The shepherd’s hut (left) and the home (right)

Ms Weldin, a freelance marketing specialist, applied for retrospective permission to keep the hut, but Dorset Council has now recommended it be refused. Pictured: The shepherd’s hut (left)

But it appears this has fallen on deaf ears, and the planning committee at Dorset Council are set to refuse permission later this week.

Shepherd’s huts have been a booming trend for over a decade, with people using them as garden rooms and offices.

One won Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces Shed of the Year competition in 2016, and a year later, former Prime Minister David Cameron revealed he paid £25,000 for a designer hut for his garden.

Since the Covd-19 pandemic, sales have taken off as more people use them to work from home.

Generally, planning consent is not needed for a garden shepherd’s hut as long as it is for private use but permission is needed if it is for commercial use.

Ms Weldin declined to comment on the matter.

Her planning agent, Richard Stratton, said in a statement: ‘The applicant was not aware that planning permission was required, as the shepherd’s hut is within the grounds of the property and therefore they thought that specific planning application for the hut would not be required.

‘However, following approaches from planning compliance officers we have been instructed to prepare this application.

‘The shepherd’s hut has been provided in order to provide modest holiday accommodation to help serve the tourism industry in the Lyme Regis area.

‘The hut is very much within its own secluded setting and does not impact adversely on any other residential properties.

‘It is set down low by some 3 metres below the level of the access drive. Furthermore, the site is screened by a 1.8 metre wooden fence. It is also well screened on three sides by extensive areas of trees and scrub.’

He claimed the current access to the property has good visibility in both directions.

The hut has a living, dining and kitchen area, a sleeping area and a bathroom. It has mains water and electricity but drainage is dealt with by way of a compost toilet.

In his findings, Robert Parr, a Dorset Council planning officer, said: ‘The proposed development is considered acceptable in regard to its scale, design, impact on character and appearance.

‘However it is considered the proposed intensification of the use of the vehicular access through the use of the Shepherd’s hut as holiday accommodation would have a severe detrimental effect on road safety.

‘Therefore, the application is not considered acceptable in planning terms and is recommended for refusal.’

A spokesperson for Dorset Council said: ‘The application is going before the Western and Southern Area Planning Committee for decision on Thursday, December 11.’