Council Orders Independent Survey of Cabin Near Sanquhar

A council in Dumfries and Galloway will commission an independent surveyor to measure a cabin near Sanquhar after a planning dispute over its size. Councillors were told the structure at Clenries Farm exceeds the 30-square-metre internal floor space limit set for huts by Scottish planning policy.

A planning officer measured the cabin at 30.9 square metres, while an agent for the applicant said that accounting for bedroom wall insulation would reduce the figure to 29.9 square metres.

Scottish planning policy defines a hut as a simple building used intermittently for recreational accommodation. It must be built from low-impact materials, generally lack connections to mains water, electricity or sewerage, and be removable with little trace at the end of its life.

The retrospective planning application for the cabin near Sanquhar failed because the measured size exceeded the limit by less than one square metre.

During a meeting this week, Annandale South councillor Sean Marshall asked whether any external check had been made on the measurements. A senior council planning officer confirmed that no independent verification had been carried out. The council's solicitor advised that because the measurement determines the outcome of the case, the local review body could commission an independent surveyor to measure the cabin's floor space.

Councillors voted to adjourn the matter and seek that independent report before making a final decision.