PLANS to extend a holiday park on the Dorset coast have been rejected following objections from local residents.

Osmington Mills Holiday Park, which was taken over by the Waterside Group in 2009, submitted an application to build an additional lodge on the south east corner of its site.

At a meeting of West District Council's development control committee, members heard from local residents and the parish council who had submitted objections to the scheme.

They claimed the additional caravan would be visible from the village of Osmington Mills and the coastal path.

Resident Derek Thomas described the proposed additional unit as a 'carbuncle'.

He added: "It's an unnecessary imposition on local people, a selfish and greedy imposition for the benefit of Waterside only."

Caroline Cheesman aid: "Our objections are not gratuitous against a local business seeking to expand, they are for very good reasons."

Fellow resident Thomas Pomeroy added: "A new chalet here is going to widen substantially the significance of the site from the coastal path and the village."

Sandra Miller, representing the parish council, said it "wholeheartedly" disagreed with the suggestion that the visual impact of the site would be negligible.

Richard Burgess, representing Waterside, said that since the company had become owners of the site it had replaced metal clad caravans with cedar clad lodges that were less visually obtrusive and had actually reduced the overall number of units on site from 99 to 68.

He said: "The impact of this is negligible and in fact in the summer season you would come to the conclusion that the improvement in Osmington Mills has been huge in the past few years."

Cllr Nigel Bundy recommended refusing the scheme, citing its impact on the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the World Heritage Site coastline, claiming the application effected the special qualities and natural beauty of the area.

The application before councillors was a scaled back version after an initial proposal to site two additional lodges rather than just one.

However, Cllr Bundy said: "I'm not convinced in any shape or form that coming down to one has improved anything.

"This is a valuable piece of open space in Osmington Mills.

"I don't see anything that has persuaded me to do this in this area."

Cllr Stella Jones added: "I know the site has been upgraded and it looks much better but this is an important open space and to spoil that for one more caravan is completely wrong."

The committee voted to reject the application by a majority of seven to three.