A LOCAL resident wants permission to keep a garage they had built in a Herefordshire beauty spot without seeking planning consent.

Imelda Keturkaite has submitted retrospective plans to Herefordshire Council to build a three bay garage and log store at her home near the A449 Ledbury Road in Gatsford near Ross-on-Wye.

Several residents and Brampton Abbotts and Foy group parish council have objected to the plans for Gatsford House which is in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Mike O’Brien, an objector, said: “It sets a bad example for those who have had to follow the rules in the past and a very bad and potentially dangerous precedent for similar retrospective applications in the future if this application is granted.”

However, one supporter said the building was an ‘aesthetic addition’ to the area.

Reginald Jurkevicius said: “The placement of the three bay garage is in a well concealed area of the land and hardly protrudes the tall hedge surrounding the house.

“The building does not cause any obstructions for the road or the two junctions and I believe the proposed oak structure suits the surrounding natural scenery.”

Residents had until March 29 to comment on the proposals which council planners are expected to consider by April 17.