A GOVERNMENT inspector has thrown out a Lyme Regis woman's latest bid to extend her hillside home.

Mrs S Smith had appealed against West Dorset council's refusal to allow her to build a studio extension on the East Side of her house at 1 Sidmouth Road.

But Inspector Richard Thomas has ruled that the district planners were right reject her application.

In a written judgement he said that the appeal site was relatively substantial two-storey house at the junction of Coram Avenue and Sidmouth road. Like many other houses on the surrounding hillside overlooking the sea, it had white rendered walls and a tiled hipped roof. It was prominent in views from the large public car park and coach park at Holmbush and also from Sidmouth Road from where the lower part of the house was partially hidden by a boundary wall.

Mr Thomas continued: "However, the proposed extension would be situated at first floor level on the east end of the house where it would be clearly visible above this wall by passers-by on Sidmouth Road.

"The majority of the white rendered extension would be covered by a flat lead-covered roof with a small area of tiling over the link to the gable wall of the house. The extension would be supported by galvanised steel posts, creating an open void beneath it.

"The floor area of the proposed extension would be modest in terms of overall size of the existing house. However, I consider that its distinctly box like appearance, together with its awkward elevated spatial relationship to the remainder of the house, would not respect the character of the existing house and that it would consequently appear as a bulky and incongruous addition."

Mr Thomas said he had noted that no objections were received to the proposed development by neighbours, ward councillor or by the town council and that the siting of the proposed windows would not harm the privacy of neighbouring occupiers.

But he continued: "However, because of its location at high level on the corner of the house, the proposed extension would be particularly prominent both from Sidmouth Road and from the public car and coach parking areas to the south east which are heavily used by visitors to the town.

"As a result, in addition to the harm that I consider it would cause to the character and appearance of 1 Sidmouth Road, the proposed extension would also cause significant harm to the character and appearance of the wider area."