A STAGGERED, three storey home to have been built into a steep hillside would have stood out in a protected area, an inspector has found.

Joe and Jenni Scott wanted to build a three-bedroom “eco house” in what they considered to be a former domestic woodland and flower garden that was tended by a local woman for nearly 40 years from 1962 until her death in 2000.

However the land, known as Cobbs Tump in Upper Redrbook near Monmouth in the Wye Valley area of outstanding natural beauty, is within the open countryside and protected from any development other than a handful of exceptions such as housing for farm workers.

Monmouthshire County Council refused an application for planning permission in July 2024 and that decision has now been backed after the couple appealed to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales.

The independent inspector who considered the appeal said the council’s planning policy had designated the area as outside of any village settlement and within the open countryside despite Mr and Mrs Scott arguing the area was a continuation of housing that forms Upper Redrbook that sits beside the road that runs alongside the border with England.

As a result, inspector G Hall, rejected the appeal and also said the house, contrary to the argument put forward by the couple, would stand out in the protected area despite acknowledging its staggered design responds to the topography of the steep hillside facing England.

Hall’s report said the house would have timber cladding and extensive glazing and stated: “Rather than receding into the hillside, the dwelling would appear as a conspicuous and incongruous addition, particularly when viewed from the main road and surrounding vantage points.”

The inspector described the Wye Valley National Landscape area as a “sensitive location” and said: “The introduction of such a distinctively different building would cause harm to the character and appearance of the area.”