A new planning application is seeking permission to retain two stable blocks in Brown Edge after they were built without planning permission.

The application, submitted by a Mr A Beardmore to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, seeks permission for the retention of the stables on Green Belt land near Double Gates Nursery, Sytch Road.

The stables were first built in July 2019, with the applicant believing that they did not require planning permission.

After the district council notified the applicant of the need for planning permission, the new application now hopes to resolve the matter.

If a building is built without planning permission and retrospective permission is refused, councils can issue an enforcement notice requiring the applicant to put things back as they were.

It means that the stables may need to be demolished if planning permission is not granted.

A planning statement by the applicant's agent, Rob Duncan, reads: "The buildings are constructed from timber, and encompass a typical stable design, with front overhanging canopy.

"The buildings stand to a maximum height of 3.1 metres and occupy a cumulative floor area of 66.7 square metres."

It argues: "The two stable blocks constructed on the site are considered to constitute a sustainable and appropriate form of development within the Green Belt on the basis that they amount to appropriate facilities for outdoor recreation.

"The buildings are of a scale, massing, design and type of construction that is firmly in keeping with the rural character of the area within which they are located, and the development does not detract from the character and appearance of the area or the amenity of neighbouring residential occupiers. The proposal is also acceptable from a highway safety perspective.

"The Local Authority is therefore respectfully requested to support the proposal and grant planning permission to retain the stable blocks as constructed."

A decision on the application will be made by the authority at a later date, which has not yet been announced.