Plans to convert a Leek farmhouse into a detached home, as well as building a second detached home from scratch alongside it, have been refused by the district council.

A Mr Ken Phillips submitted plans to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, with the proposal stating: "The proposed development comprises two detached houses – one being the rejuvenation of the existing farmhouse, which is unchanged in terms of its footprint or external appearance and the other comprising a newly built house that sits within the footprint of the previous agricultural outbuildings."

The plans, which relate to Thorncroft Farm on Blackshaw Lane, Blackshaw Moor - next to the Three Horseshoes Inn - also included proposals to build a double garage.

A planning statement prepared on behalf of the applicant argued that the proposed development would have many benefits.

It said: "In this case, the social effects of the scheme are that it makes a contribution to the need for housing in the District and the local area. There is little impact from the scheme, as the built form will be largely unchanged and arguably enhanced, and this can be set alongside the social benefits of the scheme in delivering housing in a location where there are already amenities that make co-location sensible – the primary school and bus stops, for example.

"The addition of the families that live in the homes on the site will help to support the local economy and services, contributing to the overall sustainability of Blackshaw Moor and the rural area nearby. The scheme is unlikely to create any appreciable environmental impacts based on the evidence available, and, we would contend, is more likely to bring environmental benefits – lesser impactful traffic movements, more green space compared to hard-standing and improved hedgerows and tree planting on the boundaries.

"All of these potential benefits should also be set in the context that the site is not especially visible from any public vantage point, apart from Blackshaw Lane, from which the view will be very little changed. This means that, rarely in our experience, the development of the site is likely to pass unnoticed by the majority of the people, but will make use of an otherwise quite spoilt parcel of land that could be making its contribution to the economic, social and environmental development of Blackshaw Moor and the wider District, with limited, if any, impact."

However, the district council disagreed, calling the development "cumbersome" and saying it would infringe on the open countryside.

A decision notice refusing the application stated: "The site is located within the open countryside where development will only be permitted if an essential need can be demonstrated. No such need has been demonstrated and the proposal fails to comply with the acceptable forms of development.

"The development would not be well related to the existing pattern of development of Blackshaw Moor as it sits outside of the built form of development to the east of the A53 and will create a sporadic pattern of development; and prominent intrusion into the countryside.

"The proposed new dwelling would appear incongruous and would dominate the application site due to its cumbersome scale, design and stark modern materials that does not relate well with the existing farmhouse and its surrounding area."