A PROPOSAL to construct a futuristic building on May Hill was rejected by planners, after it was described as 'the Starship Enterprise having crashed into the countryside'.

Timothy Nash wants to build a new farmhouse and garden, plus renovate and extend existing farm buildings at May Hill Lodge in Yartleton Lane.

However Peter Williams, the Forest of Dean District Council' s head of planning, explained that for a property to be built in the open countryside it had to be unique and of an exceptional design.

As the debate unfolded a large number of people in the public gallery opposed to the scheme stood up in silence.

Frank James from the May Hill Society told planners: "May Hill is a geological sponge and supplies water to the Brecon Beacons, the Cotswolds and the Malverns.

"This is the wettest part of the hill, and the existing amounts of water from this site already cause significant problems in and below Yartleton Lane. This development can only make things worse."

For the full story read The Forester.