PERMISSION to build a four-bedroomed detached house with garage on the former car park of the Lamb Inn in Newchurch looks likely to be refused by councillors this week.

The application is for a three-storey building with a driveway and vehicle turning area and access to the playing field behind.

Outline planning permission for a house on the site was granted at appeal in December 1996, subject to conditions, and the outline planning permission was renewed in April, 2000.

A reserved matters application was dismissed at appeal in July this year on the grounds the proposal would be out of keeping in the Conservation Area.

Two letters of objections from residents mention the inconvenience and danger of the new access, the increase in parking problems and the detrimental effect of the building on the views of the countryside.

The Lamb Inn is now used as a dwelling.

A report to the Barrowford and Western Parishes Committee stated: "The proposal would not preserve or enhance the character of the Conservation Area or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and would fail to achieve a sense of good design."

It also said the dwellinghouse would sit 'uneasily' and appear 'busy' with excessive windows, lights and mix of materials and would lead to a loss of light to the ground floor windows of the cottages opposite.

Councillors will therefore be asked to refuse the application on these grounds.