A CONTROVERSIAL plan to build a Wild West-style log cabin for North-East tourists has won approval.
Councillors on Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council defied their own planning officers to approve the application.
Former policeman David Laing applied to build the cabin at Grewgrass Lane at Markse, near Redcar.
The bungalow-cabin would be hidden from view in a copse close to a pond.
Planning officers recommended refusing permission on road safety grounds as drivers would not have adequate visibility at a junction near the cabin. They also said the cabin would contravene the local plan which limits building in agricultural areas.
However, councillors approved the application by seven votes to three after hearing arguments that the 9m x 5.3m cabin would help tourism.
Approval was given on condition that trees were not destroyed and that tourists stayed no longer than six weeks.
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