A FARMER has received outline Planning consent to build two large houses – which together would ‘be the size of the Greenhills Hotel’ – in the countryside.

It was decided at a Planning meeting on Thursday that Charlie Gallichan’s application to build two homes – with a maximum total size of 30,000 square feet – was an ‘insubstantial departure’ from the Island Plan 2002 and so could be approved by a Planning applications panel.

Mr Gallichan avoided a public inquiry, which would have been legally required to take place had his application been deemed a ‘substantial departure’ from the Island Plan.

At the meeting, Mr Gallichan, of Woodside Farm, Rue du Petit Aleval, was granted Planning principle to demolish two bungalows, agricultural buildings and temporary staff accommodation at his farm in St Peter so he can build two large houses on the site. Under the law, the panel, which took an hour to decide the application instead of the allocated 15 minutes, had to register that the application was an insubstantial departure and confirm their justification for that.

• Picture: Charlie Gallichan at Woodside Farm