A PUBLIC inquiry will decide the future of a converted farmhouse in the centre of Bothenhampton.

The hearing will allow village residents to say why they objected to the work carried out on the Homestead Farm site.

It will also give supporters of the project the chance to speak and allow the owners to argue why the building, as it stands, should be given planning consent.

No date has yet been set for the inquiry by the Planning Inspectorate.

Dorset Council rejected an application for amended plans for the property in August with building work coming to a halt once the building was safe and watertight.

Some residents complained that the project, said to have cost £4 million, resulted in the building being out of the agreed line and with some roof levels higher than on the application.

The objectors employed their own planning experts after being dissatisfied with the Dorset Council response to their complaints.

They claim that the result of the changes is an over-dominant home which has partially blocked views of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and looks out of place in the village conservation area.

The owners and Dorset Council planning officers argued that the changes were not significant and argued that the area planning committee should approve the house as it now stands – but councillors disagreed and unanimously rejected a new planning application which reflects how the property now stands.

On Thursday, the area planning committee again decided to put any enforcement action on hold until an appeal is concluded. The council’s powers range from enforcing rebuilding sections of the home, to total demolition, although that step is rarely taken.

Agent for the applicants, Andy Partridge, argued that taking any enforcement action before an appeal was concluded would be premature and costly to both sides.

The view was shared by council enforcement officer Kevin Parry who said the public inquiry would take evidence from both sides and decide what the key points were, along with the perceived level of harm, if there was any, and that the inquiry findings would then guide the council’s next steps.

Consent for the new home, on the corner of Main and Duck Street, was granted in April 2018 with several amendments agreed to the original consent agreed during the course of the building work.