AN addition to a Northumberland guest house, described as "a pimple on an elbow", has been approved against the advice of planning officers.

The application for a new porch at Ashcroft Guest House, on Lanty’s Lonnen in Haltwhistle, was approved by 13 votes to three at the meeting of Northumberland County Council’s strategic planning committee on Tuesday, July 7.

It had been recommended for refusal as it would "cause less than substantial harm to the property and the wider conservation area", which would not be outweighed by the public benefit.

The council’s conservation officer said that it "would be of a disproportionately large scale and would obscure features that positively contribute to the architectural quality of the property", but the town council supported the application.

Coun. Ian Hutchinson, the local ward member, said: "Personally, I don’t think it would cause a lot of harm to the guest house; it’s open, not a porch, but a shelter for guests arriving.

"It wouldn’t really enhance the building, but it wouldn’t cause any harm."

A submission from the applicants’ agent Susie White emphasised that it isn’t really a porch, but an open-sided canopy, because they tried to "purposely keep the scale and massing down."

Moving approval, Coun. Barry Flux said he thought the addition of the shelter is "inconsequential" and has no effect on the conservation area at all.

He later added: "It’s a pimple on an elbow. You would have thought we were discussing a 40-foot pink turret."

Coun. Rupert Gibson agreed, saying: "It’s just been blown out of all proportion."

Coun. Richard Dodd added that he felt it was an improvement, while Coun. Jeff Reid said it looked as though the original building was missing a porch or something similar anyway.

However, Coun. Les Bowman said: "If we approve this, the character of Haltwhistle will be slowly, but surely, changing."

He praised the stonework around the door and said the canopy or porch would hide it.