Designs for the treehouse holiday chalet at Honey Cottage, Blean.

A Blean couple have finally been granted permission to build a new treehouse at their holiday let.

Chris and Michelle Whalley, who own and manage Honey Cottage and Honey Lodge, saw their plans narrowly approved by the city council’s development management committee on Tuesday.

The application was deferred at an earlier hearing last month following concerns the development was out of character and would increase noise and overlooking to neighbouring properties.

The treehouse would replace an existing structure within the garden. It would include one bedroom, a bathroom, kitchen and living area.

Blean Parish Council lodged 10 points of objection against it.

Chairman William Leetham believes the treehouse would be more suited to the jungles of Java than the Blean countryside.

He said: “Added capacity would mean more cars and the entrance to the holiday let is on a very dangerous and busy stretch of road.

"Visibility is extremely limited and what’s more, there’s no clear business plan attached to this expansion."

Ward councillor Hazel McCabe echoed the parish council’s concerns.
She said: "It’s totally unsuitable for a Kent village.

"If the owners want to extend the number of rooms they have available, why don’t they just extend Honey Cottage on the existing plot? It’s an extremely eccentric building and one that could be viewed as overdevelopment on that particular site."

The committee granted the application by eight votes to seven.