Plans to add an extra home on the end of a terrace of houses in Wells, that was extended recently, have been refused by Mendip District Council.

An application for outline planning permission with all matters reserved for the building of a two-bedroom house at 28 Hervey Road, Wells, had been submitted by Mr D Rowe.

The applicant was given permission last year and recently constructed a home attached to 28 Hervey Road, and in this latest application wanted to add a two-bedroom home to the end of the terrace, that would be suitable for a first-time buyer.

Letters of support were received by the planning authority highlighting improvements to on-street parking and highway safety.

However, Wells City Council objected to the proposals, saying they would represent an overdevelopment of the plot.

In their report, Mendip's planning officer said they were satisfied that the dwelling could be accommodated within the site without causing adverse harm to the amenities of the neighbours.

"The indicative layout shows that the site could accommodate the dwelling without causing adverse harm to existing or future residential amenities and allow for sufficient amenity space," the report said.

"Neighbours would have the opportunity to comment on the reserved matters application at the appropriate stage. It should be noted that no objections have been raised by local residents at this outline stage."

The application site falls within the catchment area of the Somerset Levels and Moors Ramsar Site, which is currently in an unfavourable condition, and this was cited as the reason for refusing the plans.

The Somerset Levels and Moors are protected by both the Habitat Regulations Act 2017 and the Ramsar Convention, an international law which recognises and protects areas of wetlands for future generations.

Following a court case last year (known as Dutch N), Somerset's local authorities have been urged to carry out tests to protect the area from further pollution.

The planning report said: "The proposal by means of its potential impact upon the Somerset Levels and Moors Ramsar site is considered to be unacceptable.

"Insufficient information has been submitted to assess whether the proposal would result in an unacceptable increase in phosphate levels within the foul water discharge affecting the current unfavourable status."