A GOVERNMENT inspector has backed a local authority's decision to refuse planning permission for a caravan to be sited near one of the region's busiest roads.

Last February, Darlington Borough Council refused Thomas Walker-Coates retrospective planning permission to live in a caravan on land he owns close to the A66, on the outskirts of Sadberge.

But enforcement action to remove the caravan was delayed after he lodged an appeal with the planning inspectorate. The appeal has now been heard and has backed the council's decision.

Mr Walker-Coates claimed the site was his only home and because of personal, medical and financial circumstances, no other suitable accommodation could be found for him in Darlington.

The authority agreed it was difficult to find accommodation which met Mr Walker-Coates' needs, but stressed it was not impossible to find somewhere for him to live.

The planning inspector who conducted the appeal said the caravan harmed the rural landscape on the edge of Sadberge and had a negative effect on people living in the area.

He also agreed that taking personal circumstances into consideration when deciding the planning issue could set a precedent.

The report concluded that Mr Walker-Coates' personal situation was "insufficient to justify the granting of permission as an exception to the planning policies for the area".

Mr Walker-Coates has been given 18 months to find alternative accommodation.