A bid to convert a disused public toilet block in Beer into a house has been refused by district planners.

The applicant proposed converting and extending the redundant set of public toilets into a small dwelling.

The toilet block is sited on land at the north side of Shepherds Cottage, at Causeway. The application said the building’s boarded up and ‘dishevelled’ state contributes little to the area.

It added: “The opportunity could allow for a small scale vernacular buildings and one where modern and appropriate small housing can be created using a redundant building.”

However, a refusal notice posted by East Devon District Council said it has not been demonstrated that the development provides ‘wider sustainability benefits’ to the community that outweigh the flood risk posed to it.

It added that its design, appearance and layout would result in a ‘prominent and alien feature’, detrimental to the appearance of the streetscene.