A PROPOSAL for a massage tent in a garden at Walditch has been withdrawn from the planning list.

The application had attracted around twenty letters to Dorset Council, both for and against.

Bridport Town Council had supported the proposal.

The application was lodged in June after Dorset Council officers ruled that the tent, which has been in place sporadically since August 2021, was an unlawful development.

The council decided that the use in the garden amounted to a material change of use with the number of people likely to visit above what might be expected in a private garden attached to a listed cottage.

Dorset Council had been asked to consider if the use of the tent could be considered a permitted lawful development for the garden of Orchard Cottage, Walditch Road, Walditch for the Nurture Holistic Therapy company, based in Axminster.

The application said the tent would be positioned half-way along the garden, out of the sight of neighbours, with the cottage not being used for the business.

The proposal said the tent would be taken down several times a year for it to be used at festivals and other events and for cleaning, with it being in use up to three times a day in the spring and summer season.