A DUNSTER councillor has won a legal battle against his own council to install solar plans throughout his holiday business at Blue Anchor.

Councillor Marcus Kravis, who represents Dunster on Somerset Council, runs Anchors Drop holiday accommodation alongside his partner Cara Strom.

Mr Kravis was refused permission by Somerset West and Taunton Council in March 2023 to install solar panels at several locations throughout the site, which include the former Blue Anchor hotel and a number of static caravans.

The Planning Inspectorate has now overturned the council’s decision, allowing the business to be self-sufficient in electricity for most of the year, reducing both their electricity bills and the need to use their two oil boilers and propane tanks.

The original decision was taken by the district council’s planning committee in March 2023, at a time when Mr Kravis was the district councillor for Old Cleeve and District, which included Blue Anchor.

Following the committee’s refusal, which Mr Kravis described as “very poor”, he lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate in June 2023, with the appeal being handled through written representations and a formal site visit rather than a public inquiry.

The appeal process has coincided with the completion of a £3.5m coastal defence scheme at Blue Anchor, which is designed to protect Anchors Drop, the neighbouring properties and the crucial B3191 coast road from more erosion.

Mr Kravis also secured planning permission in March to convert part of the pub into additional holiday lets – with the decision being taken in public by Somerset Council’s planning committee west in light of his status as a serving councillor.

Planning inspector Alison Fish visited the site on April 30 and published her final ruling on the Planning Inspectorate’s official website on May 23.

Ms Fish said that Anchor’s Drop’s current electricity costs exceed £50,000 a year, and that switching to renewable energy sources (including a battery storage system) would “enable them to open longer hours for food and drink, enable more out of season stays and allow for the provision of electric car charging points.”

She argued that, since solar panels have a limited lifespan, planning conditions could be put in place concerning their removal once they could no longer generate electricity.

She added: “The caravans have shallow pitch roofs and are sited on land which is well screened. The solar panels would not be prominent from locations outside of the site.”

While the panels in the garden would appear “incongruous” and “alien” within the coastal setting, Ms Fish said “the overall harm would be modest” due to the relatively low height of the panels.

She concluded: “There are benefits to the scheme to which I have afforded significant weight.”

Reacting to Ms Fish’s ruling, Mr Kravis said: “This is very welcome and great news.

“It will finally allow us to implement a scheme that will allow the business to generate most if not all its own energy.

“The aim is to be totally ‘off grid’, which is a challenge using just solar in our climate.”