The future of a leisure and tourism hub near Frome hangs in the balance after local councillors refused plans to improve the site.

Charlie Bonham-Christie runs Marston Park with his business partner Michael Fenna, providing holiday accommodation in the form of bell tents and glamping pods.

The partners applied back in October 2017 to carry out numerous improvements to the estate, including the erection of 20 new holiday lodges, a hub with a restaurant and meeting rooms, and restoring a number of buildings to provide additional living space.

Nearly six years on, Mendip District Council's planning board voted on Wednesday evening (February 15) to refuse permission, citing concerns over the damage to ancient woodland.

The Bonham-Christie family purchased the Marston Park estate in 1905, with Mr Bonham-Christie currently owning 77 acres (31 hectares) of land.

Messrs. Bonham-Christie and Fenna set up glamping tents overlooking the lake within the estate during the coronavirus pandemic, taking advantage of permitted development rights which had been temporarily relaxed by the government.,

Under the detailed proposals, a further 20 holiday lodges will be built within the estate along with a reception and hub building, which will house a café, bar, restaurant, meeting rooms, a spa and a gym.

In addition, the Keeper's Cottage and Boat House – both of which are Grade II listed – will be restored to provide additional holiday accommodation.

Tim Sanderson – who has lived in Marston House with his wife since 2012 – described the estate as "an exceptionally beautiful and peaceful landscape", and argued that the plans would hamper efforts by his family to improve it.

He told the planning board: "We have worked hard over the past ten years to preserve and enhance our parts of this irreplaceable setting. We've restored the stunning walled garden and carried out extensive tree planting.

"Our plans to make our part of the estate more accessible to public users had to be put on hold when this application was submitted, as the totality of the experience for visitors would be lost if this application was improved.

"We are now in a position to carry on our plans if the application is refused. The application will damage heritage assets – the lack of care shown by the applicants for their part of the estate over many years is no justification for it to be allowed to go into ruination."

More than 1,600 people have signed a petition to secure Marston Park's future, calling on the council to protect a major source of local employment.

Sheila Salmon, who sits on Trudoxhill Parish Council, said: "Throughout the parish, we found many people were supportive.

"The economic benefits of supplying local goods and produce were appreciated. Employment generation, landscape restoration and ultimately wildlife benefits, and the opportunity for the public to enjoy the special landscape instead of keeping it as a private shoot were very well understood.

"The applicant has created excellent, widely-used facilities which have been supported by locals. This has given us an opportunity to see how a permanent site might operate – and concerns from those living on Tuckmarsh Lane have dissipated."

Councillor Michael Gay – whose Postlebury ward includes part of the site – said there had been "ceaseless change" to the plans since 2017, and said a decision was being hampered by "conflicting legal advice".

He said: "The parish council is very happy with this business – please listen carefully to what they had to say. Nobody disputes that there would be an economic benefit.

"The dead must give way to the living. The application is not about the past, but suggests a way forward for essential restoration, providing their impacts can be strictly guided and controlled."

Councillor Shannon Brooke – whose Beckington and Selwood ward includes the remainder of the site – added: "The wide raft of environmental protection measures and mitigation will facilitate more visitors coming to stay in our beautiful part of Mendip, spending their leisure bucks in our local economy and providing 43 local jobs.

"Across my ward, woodlands are felled for un-consented development, while this development, predominantly in existing woodland clearings, shows respect. This is to be applauded."

Councillor Matt Martin added: "We're desperate to create jobs in Somerset and to retain our young people – we need to do everything we can. It's a sensible use of the land."

Councillor Francis Hayden, on the other hand, argued that the council would be neglecting its legal duties towards the ancient woodland if it did not refuse permission.

He said: "There is no greater charge against a local authority than failing in following our statutory duties. If we granted this application, we would be failing our duties in law.

"If we are going to do harm to this designated landscape, it has to get over the hurdle of being for 'imperative reasons of overriding public interest'. It doesn't get over that hurdle – there's nothing special about this site, it's part of a park which has been neglected.

"There are other ways to achieve restoration, including grants which have not been applied for, rather than damaging ancient woodland."

Councillor Laura Waters concurred: "I do not believe that the economic benefits of this proposal outweigh the irreparable damage that this will do."

After nearly two hours' debate, the board voted to refuse the plans by a margin of six votes to three.

A decision on a separate application, surrounding listed building consent for the Keeper's Cottage and Boat House, was deferred until a future meeting.