LAKE District planners have ordered the removal of a holiday chalet which was built without planning permission near Ambleside.

The unauthorised timber chalet was built on farmland at Neaum Hurst Cottages in Skelwith Bridge in 2001, along with a summerhouse and shed.

The Lake District National Park Authority enforcement officer, David McGowan, told the development control committee that officers visited the site in September 2002 after receiving a tip-off.

On inspecting the site, they found the three buildings in an area of land which had been walled off and covered with stone chippings. Part of the land had also been planted with shrubs and plants, adding to the residential appearance of the site.

Mr McGowan said that the development introduced a holiday use to the open countryside and amounted to a material change of use of the site. The changes harmed the character and appearance of the area and were contrary to several planning policies.

He therefore recommended that enforcement action be authorised to secure the removal of the buildings and the restoration of the land to agricultural use. The committee agreed.