In a surprising move, Dorset Council planners have allowed developers to get round a restriction on second homes on the Malthouse development in Langton Matravers.
At the Dorset Council eastern area planning meeting on Wednesday 24th June 2026, councillors voted to allow a two bedroom house on the new development, to be used as a commercial holiday let, despite a restriction that only allowed it to be sold as a primary residence and not a second home.
The Old Malthouse site which has previously been a brewers and a school, is now a new housing development
“Properties are not selling”
Ken Parke planning consultants argued:
“The housing market is slow and properties are not selling; this is due to economic issues outside of the applicant’s control.
“The applicant wishes to offer this property for sale on the basis that it can either be purchased as an owner-occupied property, be either retained by the applicant or sold as a rental property occupied as a person’s main residence or retained/sold as a holiday let for short term lets.”
While many objected to the proposal including Langton Matravers parish council and the Dorset Council ward member for South East Purbeck Ben Wilson, the developers will now be allowed to rent out a family home as a commercial holiday let, in what can only be described as a misinterpretation of the Purbeck Local Plan – a document which sets out the local rules on planning policy.
Number 14 on the Malthouse site could now become a holiday let rather than a family home for residents
“There is no requirement to build further holiday lets”
In his objection Councillor Ben Wilson said:
“I object to this application in the strongest terms possible. To do anything other than reject it outright would be to undermine the intention behind the Purbeck Local Plan policy H14 that all Purbeck developments within the Dorset Local Landscape be sold as primary residences.
“We should not be building any medium-large scale developments within Purbeck for any purpose other than providing permanent residences.
“There is no requirement to build further holiday lets – demand is already met with existing properties and the repurposing of existing buildings.
“To accept this would represent a slippery slope and would be a decision against the interests of the local Langton Matravers and wider Purbeck community.”
Langton Matravers parish council wrote:
“The Purbeck Local Plan seeks to ensure that new residential development contributes to meeting local housing needs and supports sustainable communities. The introduction of unrestricted holiday let use would undermine this objective…
“Approval of this proposal would set an undesirable precedent for similar applications within the parish, leading to a cumulative erosion of the housing stock available for permanent occupation.”
Allowing an opt out for new holiday lets was never meant to apply to residential housing developments
Opt out for new holiday lets
The Dorset Council planning officer recommended that the house should be able to be reclassified as a holiday let due to their interpretation of Policy H14 on second homes in the Purbeck Local Plan.
The policy says new housing will only be allowed if it is occupied as a principal residence, and not a second home. However it goes on to say this will not apply to, “New homes which are commercially let for holiday makers”.
The Purbeck Local Plan was finally published in July 2024 after nine long years of consultation and reversioning.
Initially there were no exceptions for new build homes to be anything other than primary residences, however it was successfully argued that this could stifle tourism in the area if new holiday chalets built in the grounds of a farm or large property had to be classified as primary residences.
The whole idea was that the properties had to be described as commercial holiday lets in the planning application, to qualify.
The 19 home development in the centre of the village of Langton Matravers was granted planning permission on the basis of providing homes as primary residences, not holiday lets.
However the planning consultants spotted a loophole in the policy because it doesn’t specifically detail that it can’t be applied later.
It could now be argued that this planning decision has set a precedent by creating an interpretation of the policy that was not intended, but has now been approved.
As part of the Malthouse development of 19 homes, a further 15 will be built in this nearby field. How many could now be holiday lets?
Concerns raised by councillors
The loophole was flagged by several councillors in the meeting including Councillor Alex Brenton, who said:
“When it says holiday homes, it’s implied that they are groups of, say, four or five in a courtyard or a farmyard. It’s the sort of separate little enclave of holiday cottages.
“They’re not just one stuck in amongst 19. And if you look at the plan, this number 14 is right in the middle of the development. Not ideal as a holiday home or as a holiday let…
“We should not be going against the spirit of the Purbeck Plan that we agreed. I know that you could argue that the spirit didn’t actually mention the details of what is a holiday home, and how often it is used…
“I am very concerned that we are setting a precedent and we don’t know how many more will apply (to be reclassified as holiday lets). So at the very least, I would ask us to defer this issue and think it through carefully and get some legal advice about what the precedent could possibly be.”
There was wide agreement by the councillors that they did not have enough information to be able to make a decision but it was discussed that if the application was deferred, it could run out of time, and then the developer could go to appeal and possibly win.
While the situation could have been avoided if the planning officer’s briefing had included a greater depth of knowledge on the Purbeck Local Plan, or if the application hadn’t been so slow to come to the planning committee meeting, there was an acknowledgement that they couldn’t do much about the situation now.
The Malthouse building development will expand into the playing field behind the old school
“Look at the policy again”
Councillor David Morgan said:
“My opinion is that we should grant this and then if we wish, to look back at the policy…
“There’s not a lot we can do about it at this point and it’s unfair to almost whip somebody on something that we’ve just realised could happen. I think if we want to stop it, we want to look at the policy again, which we can do, so if this situation arises, we’re around it.”
The development is adjacent to Langton Matraver’s village school which is under threat of closure due to falling pupil numbers in the area
Is it a precedent?
In answer to a question on whether this decision would set a precedent, the planning officer said that any future application would have to be judged on its own merits however she added:
“You would have to provide justification of any inconsistent position in the future.”
And it’s entirely possible this will now prove difficult to do, thus undermining the intention of the Purbeck Local Plan to create homes for residents.
It also means that if new homes don’t sell, rather than look to lower the asking price, developers will try first to rent them out as holiday lets.
Frustratingly for Purbeck residents, Councillor David Tooke who was chairing the meeting admitted he didn’t know why the Purbeck Local Plan allowed an opt out for holiday lets. He said:
“I’ve never been too convinced of the difference between a holiday let and a second home. The holiday let will be let in the summer and probably stand empty for six months in the year. A second home might be occupied for even less than that. That’s about the difference.
“So I’m not entirely sure why the Purbeck Local Plan makes this distinction. However, that is the Purbeck Local Plan policy, and until we review it and we have a new local plan, that’s the basis we’ve got, as far as I’m aware.”
The application was voted through by a majority.
