A former stables in Gower which was used as short-term holiday accommodation and by recovering drug addicts over the years isn't a home, a planning inspector has ruled. The inspector, Declan Beggan, upheld a decision by Swansea Council not to grant the 100-year-old building in West Cliff, Southgate, a certificate of lawful residential use.
The owners of the building, John and Joan Davies, had appealed against the council's decision, arguing that it had been lived in continuously for a four-year period, thereby exempting it from any enforcement action. They and the previous owners presented a lot of information about its history as part of the planning inquiry.
Mr Beggan's report said the building, known as Stella Maris and set in three acres of pasture land, had been lived in very early on before being used as stables. The report said the appellants maintained that its use changed to a holiday home before they bought it six years ago. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
