For more than 10 years countless visitors have stayed at the £800-a-night Courtyard Barn, part of a complex of holiday cottages set in the stunning surroundings of north Norfolk.
But now, the owners have been ordered to shut it down and to tear the kitchen and bathroom out of a neighbouring property, with council officials saying they have been operating the luxury accommodation without the required planning permission.
Victoria and Richard Kerrison are now locked in an extraordinary battle with North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) over a series of changes they have made to their sprawling Roundabout Farm complex in the village of Thurning, between Reepham and Holt.
Opinion in the tiny village of fewer than 100 people is split on the issue with some saying action needs to be taken, as the site - which can accommodate at least 20 people - is too noisy.
But others are supporting the couple, including Lady Anwen Hurt, an advertising film producer and wife of the late actor Sir John Hurt, star of the Elephant Man, Alien and Doctor Who.
The site has two holiday lets - Courtyard Barn and another called Pear Tree Cottage - as well as one bed and breakfast, The Orangery.
Two of the buildings have planning permission for holiday use but the local authority argues they have not always been used correctly.
For instance, officials say that The Orangery only has permission to be used as an extension of Pear Tree Cottage, rather than as a holiday let in its own right.
The council has also ordered the couple to move out of another property on the site, a cabin-style building, which they are using as their own home, and to remove its kitchen and bathroom.
The local authority says the structure, which is made from two static caravans, should only ever have been used as an office.
The couple contest the council's claims and are taking their fight to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which can stop NNDC’s enforcement action.
Lady Anwen, who is a neighbour and long-time friend of the couple, is submitting a statement to the Planning Inspectorate arguing in support.
She is expected to say she has not experienced problems of any kind, including noise.
The Planning Inspectorate is expected to reach a decision later this year.
On TripAdvisor, the barn is listed for £805 a night, with a rating of 4 and a half stars.
BARNY OVER A BARN
The Kerrisons argue the cabin has never been solely used as an office and has been their home since around 2010.
A statement submitted on their behalf said: “The whole building has never been solely used as an office as alleged.
“It makes no sense to suggest, as the council has done, that the whole building was used as an office to service the administrative requirements of a business letting three small cottages whose admin needs are more than adequately met by a laptop, some shelves and a filing cabinet.”
The couple also argue that the use of the Courtyard Barn as a holiday let is “not unlawful, but is unauthorised”.
The council says using the office as a home is a change of use requiring planning permission, and that the site is in an area where such developments should not be permitted, to avoid overreliance on cars.
They said: “The appeal site is deemed to be considered as the countryside where development is restricted to particular types of development to support the rural economy, meet affordable housing needs and provide renewable energy.”
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