Black Barn spa in Filby sees expansion plans rejected

Lorraine and Paul Thompson were seeking permission from Great Yarmouth Borough Council to change the use of a residential dwelling and outbuilding at the Black Barn on Market Lane in Filby. 

The proposal was for an expansion of the holiday rental and spa site they opened on the site in 2019. 

The owners said the new plans would have involved opening one more bedroom to holidaymakers, "improving" the spa experience and creating 10 jobs. 

Lorraine Thompson who owns Black Barn Airbnb in Filby with her husband Paul. (Image: Neil Perry)

But planners rejected their application, raising concerns over the location, reliance on the use of private cars to get there, and the impact on the surrounding countryside. 

Previously, the owners said they had secured neighbouring land to accommodate extra parking spaces. 

They proposed to expand the parking facilities from nine to 22 spaces through the change of use of the field to the north. 

According to planners, however, this additional parking area would result in the "urbanisation of the countryside". 

This in turn would adversely impact the landscape and have a negative effect on views across the "uninterrupted, mostly flat countryside". 

Another reason for refusing the plans was the likely "increased intensity" in the use of the site with more vehicle movements to and from an "unsustainable location". 

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The swimming pool at the Black Barn in Filby. (Image: The Black Barn)

The application had faced objections from two neighbours citing concerns about the increase in traffic and intensity of the use of the site. 

Norfolk County Council Highways also opposed the bid over concerns about accessibility and it being an unsustainable location. 

The Thompsons bought the site in 2015 before opening the holiday let on the site of a former pig shed. 

The site currently has three bedrooms, a spa complex with treatment rooms and a six-person swimming pool.