PLANNERS have approved the demolition and rebuilding of a barn which holds community cider events.

Barn owner Michael Boother applied to Dartmoor National Park planning authority for permission for the reconstruction of the barn at Townend, South Zeal near Okehampton.

The application is for the demolition of a ‘dilapidated’ ‘L’ shaped barn believed to have been constructed in the 1970s from telegraph poles with corrugated metal sheet cladding.

The demolition of the structure would have a positive impact on the South Zeal Conservation Area, being an enhancement, the planners say. They recommend the plan is granted conditional approval.

However, the proposed barn, although ‘tidier’ than the existing building, is larger and therefore, has a higher impact. Minimising the impact of the structure in terms of footprint and design should be encouraged, planners have been told.

The existing building is used for storage in association with the land management of two fields with hay storage and occasional storage of building materials.

Since 2005 the barn has also accommodated the South Zeal Community Cider Press with community cider-making events held regularly in the autum when many families joined a mass apple press.

The building is due to be replaced with a new barn on the same area, but slightly larger to allow for the new building to erected over the old and therefore, protecting the apple cider press inside from the weather. The traditional wooden cider press was uncovered and rebuilt in 2005 and village families all join a mass apple pressing every October with the local harvest.

The existing building offers little for roosting bats. An ecology report recommends if the barn replacement works continue into the bird nesting season (March to August) then checks for nesting birds should be carried out and if any were found, work should stop until the chicks had fledged.

South Tawton Parish Council has supported this application. Townend house is a large traditional slate and render two-storey home off the main village road with outbuildings. The new barn will be built of and clad in wood with a corrugated roof. The roof will be lowered to improve the proportions.