A FIVE-MONTH saga over planning permission to convert a barn on Mull to a house could come to an end at a council meeting.

The Torloisk Estate’s plans for the conversion, at a site west of Lagganulva Farm at Ulva Ferry, were first considered by councillors in May, with a decision deferred to allow further information to be sought.

The application has since been deferred on a further three occasions and will now go before Argyll and Bute Council’s planning, protective services and licensing committee on Wednesday, October 23.

Authority planning officers have maintained their original recommendation that planning permission should be granted, despite more than 20 objections having been received.

Neutral representations have also been submitted during the planning process, including one from Councillor Willie Hume (SNP, Oban South and the Isles).

A planning officer said: “The ceasing of the agricultural use of the existing barn does not form a material planning consideration, however, the applicant submitted a prior notification application to erect a building as ‘agricultural permitted development’ on land to the north of Lagganulva Farm.

“The application was determined as permitted development in terms of Class 18 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992 as amended.

“The report accompanying [the prior notification application] considered that the erection of an agricultural building within the holding would have no materially negative visual impact on the environment or the wider landscape including the National Scenic Area.

“The replacement agricultural building is to be sensitively sited within the existing farm complex where it would be largely screened from the public realm by existing built development.

“The replacement agricultural building would instead relate both visually and functionally to existing buildings associated with the agricultural business and the scale of the replacement agricultural building would be commensurate with the functional need for the building and its setting in the landscape.

“Provision has therefore been made for an alternative building for use by the tenant farmer on land within the farm steading and closer to the existing buildings than the barn the subject of this application.

“The provision of the alternative agricultural building can be secured through the use of a suitable planning condition which would require it to be available for use by the tenant farmer before any works on the conversion of the existing barn commence.”