A PROPOSAL to build a four-storey home on land sold by councillor Roger Bowen – who won a lengthy and bitter battle to build a dream home on the plot – has been booted out by the district council.

A PROPOSAL to build a four-storey home on land sold by councillor Roger Bowen - who won a lengthy and bitter battle to build a 'dream home' on the plot - has been booted out by the district council.

The Summerlands building plot - often described as helping to form a green backdrop to the town, sold by Mr Bowen for more than �325,000 - was bought by Wiltshire couple Brian and Christine Shorney who promptly submitted an application to build a three-bedroom home with a tower on the site.

But their plans have been scuppered by East Devon District Council's decision to refuse the Cricketfield Lane application on the grounds the new-build would look 'ungainly' and too large for the plot.

The members said the development would be 'cramped and ill-fitting'.

And concerns over loss of trees on the site - which were raised during Mr Bowen's battle - resurfaced.

In refusing the application the council said: "The visual constriction of the proposed house within its boundaries would jar with the actual and perceived grain of development in the area, which is typified by large houses settled comfortably in generous gardens.

"The unpunctuated tree coverage on the site forms part of an important skyline backdrop of vegetation when the when the site is viewed from the town.

"The design of the proposed dwelling would demonstrate poor proportions and clumsy articulation, producing overall a large, ungainly block of building, which although partially screened by existing vegetation, man-made structures and persisting topography, would be sufficiently visible from the public realm to have a detrimental impact on the visual quality of the street scene and wider composition of this part of the town."

The application revealed Mr and Mrs Shorney had already made improvements to the original design - holding informal talks with the duty planning officer to discuss the design elements, especially in relation to the tower which would raise the central area of the home to four storeys.

The proposed home was going to be on the same site as the existing approved plot, secured by Mr Bowen's victory.

It was planned the development would have three first-floor bedrooms, a kitchen, family room, lounge, dining room and a ground floor hall.

At basement level the design showed a garage, study, store and potting room.

Architect drawings showed there was to be a central tower room at the top of the property.